So I've been brainwashed by fast food apps. I wanted to be one of the cool kids, and I installed some apps, and they have me trained like a dog.

Today we look into:

1. Understand the psychological tricks fast food apps use to keep you hooked

2. Learn why the "savings" offered by these apps are often an illusion

3. Discover healthier alternatives to fast food that are just as convenient

4. Gain insights on how to resist the temptation of app notifications and deals

5. Recognize the long-term impact of frequent fast food consumption on your health and wallet

Mentioned In This Episode

Cronometer App (Food and Exercise Tracking - better than My Fitness

Monarch Money - The Modern Way to Track Your Finances

Enjoy This Episode? Say thanks.

This episode may include links that result in me receiving a commission.

• It can be used as an insecticide
• It hurts your gut
• Creates a MAMMOTH sugar spike in your blood
• It's made from Corn, which (most of it) is GMO
• It increases E coli

It is in EVERYTHING (including my protein powder from GNC or a Vegan protein powder). When I looked at all the ingredients to flavor your water, I wanted something that didn't have any of the following:

• Maltodextrin
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Aspartame

I was amazed at how this stuff is just in everything. Why? Because it's CHEAP.

Cirkul Flavoring Your Water Your Way

This is an exciting system where you can buy a bottle or just a lid, and you slide this capsule into the top with a flavor packet and pick how much of the flavoring you want (so you decide how much flavor you get).

I was drinking an Advocare product with a lot of caffeine that wasn't cheap. So far, one capsule (about $4) lasted me a few days (which is much less than what I was doing).

My favorite taste is tea with lemon. Some of them (watermelon/strawberry) just tasted sweet. Check it out.

Keto Mojo

I am in my 50s and can't see much of the lower half of my body due to my belly. I've had enough. My mother had Type 1 diabetes, so I'm at risk, and I'm not "hoping" I don't get it; I want to see where my blood sugar is, so I bought a Keto Mojo kit. This should arrive next week, and while I'm not looking forward to pricking my fingers, a member of the Monthly Fitness Challenge uses one and says it's not that big a deal, and you barely get pricked. So more information on this in the future.

If you are interested, you can save 15% using this link

https://supportthisshow.com/ketomojo (aff)

I'm listening to the book The 6 Habits of Growth on Audible, and it really got me thinking.

AMBITIOUS FUTURES

We get excited about the future on January 1st, and we say things like, "This will be the year," and for the next few days, or weeks, and for a few, a few months, we take steps. But eventually, we fall back into old habits.

So to figure out what to do, just repeat January 1st.

• Think positively about your future. Make ambitious goals
• Keep the goals in front of you
• Start off the day in the right direction
• Monitor your success

DAILY ROUTINE

Start off your day doing five minutes ot:

• Reading something positive
• Moving
• REVIEWING YOUR GOALS

Another strategy to stop being overwhelmed is to think of THREE things you need to do today and ONLY focus on those three things.

I have been doing this and I am AMAZED at how good doing little things like "Putting my dishes in the dishwasher into the sink" or "Clean the fan today." These "Little wins" give you the confidence to move forward.

A "FIGURE IT OUT" MINDSET

Instead of saying, "I'll never complete this project on time," add a "So I'm going to ______." This shows you are not giving up, and points you toward action. It shows that you have a figure-it-out mentality.

AMBITION LEADS TO MOTIVATION

So many people feel you need the motivation to move, but that is backward. Your ambitions inspire you to move. When you move, that movement creates momentum. That momentum boosts our confidence which influences us to keep going and keep focusing on our goals.

When you lose your motivation, what is happening is you lose what you’re fighting for.

TWO THINGS I HEAR OVER AND OVER

The book points out the power of Journaling (it is self-reflective and can again help you stay focused on your goals. I started using Day One, and I love it. In the past, I've used Penzu.

You can do more with a "Workout buddy," so I created the Monthly weight loss challenge. There is no unrealistic goals, no money, just friendly competition with a built-in support group. The whole thing is free.

If you lose some weight and want to give some of that value back, that would be awesome, but it's not mandatory.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Magic Mind

Magic mind helps you get focused and be more productive. Go to www.logicalloss.com/magicmind and use the coupon weightloss20

The Six Habits of Growth

A great book about personal growth that inspired this episode. There is definitely more than enough mentions of his app, but the book still has value. Check out audible at www.logicalloss.com/audible

Monthly Weight Loss Challenge

Absolutely free support group and monthly weight loss challenge. Go to

http://monthlychallenge.fit/

I've tried weight loss competitions before like Healthy Wage where they lure you in with the chance of earning big bucks. Their goals are long-term, and for me, the money wasn't a great motivator, and with the shortest challenge being six months, I would end up forgetting about it.

So I love the community we have for the Logical Losers, and I wanted to combine the community with a challenge. So I've combined the community with a challenge. Here is what I've put together

A free app that works on Apple or Android phones where we can leave messages for each other via text, audio, video, images, etc.

While I found some apps for the weight loss challenge that I liked better it was hard to find one that works on both Apple and Android that was free and allowed me to set the goal.

You can sign up at www.monthlychallenge.fit

and sign up and join the community.

When it comes to weight loss, you have to turn off the voice that brings all the negative talk, and maybe try something new.

I hope to work with you as you inspired me, and I inspire you as we all work together with the same goal: lose weight and feel better.

Weigh In

Previous:237.5

Current: 235.1

Cronometer Ads Men's and Women's Health Scores

I love the Cronometer app. They added a new iWatch app which makes it easy to see what is going on. They also added two scores to help you see if you're getting all the nutrients you need.

See Men's Health Score Explanation

See Women's health Score Explanation

Why I Started This Podcast

I thought announcing my weight to the world would help me hold myself accountable. It did until it didn't. Someone once left a review in Apple complaining that I was gaining weight. I woke up the next day, and I was still breathing. This was up to me, and me only.

I've Been Going How Long?

I started this show in 2018 so so almost 15 years. This might help explain why I've run out of things to say on a regular basis. I think I already know to:

• Quit eating processed foods
• Quit drinking soda
• Drink plenty of water
• Get plenty of Sleep
• Get out and move
• Muscle burns Fat

I could go on. But I just don't have the passion I once did. I'm now a great-uncle and my priorities have shifted, and I have other things happening in my life.

I'm Not Quitting My Fitness Goals

I'm not off to go get fat (I've kind of got that going already). I am still fighting to be healthy, lose weight, and live long and live well. I have great-nieces and nephews and I want to see their kids (someday - many, MANY, days from now).

Part of It Was Mental

By not being able to give this show "My All" it bothered me. It bothered me to not be losing weight. I was letting myself down. By going on a "When I have something to say" schedule, I can take care of these other priorities and know that you and I have talked, and you know it's not you - it's me.

Check out the Back Catalog

Go to www.logicalloss.com/follow and subscribe/follow for free and consume the older episodes.

We Need to Guard our Time

Check out this great book by Mathew Dicks

Someday Is Today: 22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life see https://amzn.to/3PCjkkq (aff)

If You'd Like to Say Thanks

If you're been one of the thousands of people who consumed this show and you got value out of it, buy me a coffee as a way to say thank you. We also have the resource section.

and yet we do it anyway.

WHY DO WE DO THAT?

Tracy Pleschourt Interview

Today I bring in Tracy Pleschourt from Self Made U to answer that question, what to eat, and what her favorite fitness gadget is.

Solving the Mind Map: Understanding your mind and emotions

Eating the food that fuels uniquely you. 

Learn how to collect data

Fasting - to balance out our hormones.

Check out Tracy at www.self-madeu.com

Mentioned in This Episode

Tracy's site www.self-madeu.com

CGM sources:

• Levels
• Nutrisense
• Dexcom
• Signos
• Review in the Verge
• Nutrisense Review
• Logical Weight Loss Resource Center

Become a Logical Loser!

The podcast's accountability group at www.logicalloss.com

I have been using it while I watch TV, however, if you're watching a movie and you're going to be there a while, for me, my butt got hot, and it became weird. After all, I don't want to push a bunch of butt sweat into my couch (yes I had jeans on, but if you do this enough... well).

These are not cheap. I bought my pro version used. As always what is the best exercise? The one you do.

WEIGH IN

Primarily due to my birthday being yesterday (I'm 57) I am up a pound setting a new record of 237. Ugh. But I'm back to drinking water, getting more sleep and counting calories. I already lost a little.

How to do HIIT Safely

I got this by watching a video from Dr. Eric Berg DC. You can check out his YouTube Channel.

Here is the video I'm talking about

He points out that High-Intensity Interval Training is a great way to lose weight. It sets your body up to burn fat while you sleep.

However, *and I'm guilty of this) you will see someone talk about HIIT and the directions are "Go 1 minutes on and take one minute off," and depending on your fitness level that may be too much out of the gate.

FINDING YOUR INTERVAL

So what Dr. Berg mentions is:

1. Take your pulse. I have Fingertip Oxygen Concentrator which also measures my heart rate. This is your resting heart rate.
2. Exercise for a minute. This could be jumping jacks, push-ups, jumping rope, Spin bike, Kettlebell, the idea is you want to push pretty hard here (always talk to your doctor first).
3. Take your pulse after 1 minute of exercise. We will call this top rate.
4. Sit and rest for 1 minute and take your pulse again. We will call this cool down rate.
5. Subtract top rate from your cool down rate. That is your recovery number.

For me my resting rate was 70BPM

My top rate was 105

My cool down rate 75

105-75 = 30 (My recovery).

Recovery Scorecard (A higher number is good)

12 beats or less you need help

13-20 moderate risk

20-30 OK

More than 30 you're great

Figuring Out Your Interval

Now that we know our resting heart rate (our first measurement). Exercise for 1 minute, and when your minute is over, start a timer to see how long it takes to get back to your resting heart rate. That is your safe interval.

For me to get back to my resting heart rate would take about 2 minutes. So I could do 1 minute of exercise and then take 2 minutes to rest and then repeat.

If you do 4-6 repetitions twice a week, it can make a difference.

Here is his video

Become a Logical Loser

Want more support? Need an accountability partner? Become a logical loser and become part of the community with a common goal of becoming more healthy.

Click Here

SIMPLE FASTING APP

I am trying a new app at https://simplefastingapp.com which has me documenting what I ate (but not calorie counting). The idea is to put in the data easily, so I can use the app as a mirror and see my bad habits. It's more than a fasting app (even though at its core it is a fasting app).

It works as in addition to fasting, they have articles to read, graphics to show you where are you to keep you focused on how the choices are making could be better. When you make better choices you get better results. I've used it for about a week, and it is holding my attention.

For me fasting 14 hours is a no-brainer. I no longer snack in the evening. Anything I was eating after 7 PM was not helping my goals.

FLEXISPIT SIT2GO

I normally sit in a mesh office chair.I saw a product from Flexispot called, The Sit2go has a mesh back, but a wide, well-cushioned bike seat. With a 30 day Guarantee, I pulled the trigger. The first day I thought "No Way." After all, even the most comfortable bike seat is not sat on 8 hours a day. By day 2 it was easier. Not enough for me to sit in it all day, but I could see where over time I might get used to it.

The bike/chair is made of solid construction, and it does make some noise, it wasn't loud (so it's not "whisper quiet"). I just turned up the volume on my speakers and I was good.

On the days I gave it a good trial I road 60-89 minutes a day and burned 300-400 calories. (next time I'll track it on my Apple watch for a better calorie estimate).

For me, I don't see this being the ONLY chair in my office. With this in mind, you'll need a spot for it in your office when you're not using it. For me, that is not an issue (I live alone).

CUBII Comparison

This is a tough one. The Cubbi pro is around $349 and so for me, the Sit2go was in that same price range but looked sturdier. There are smaller models of the Cubii for less money, but when I investigated those I wasn't sure if I would ever break a sweat.

That being said, had I bought a Cubii, I would only have one chair in my office, and the Cubii has a handle making it easy to move. The Sit2go has solid wheels on it, but it also takes up much more room. In regards to workout, I can't really comment.

When I looked at both on YouTube, this isn't meant to give you a workout like the Nordictrack S22i, but in many cases more of a rehab, "keep moving" situation.

BECOME A BIGGEST LOSER

See www.logicalloser.com

Weigh In:

In my last episode on 10/20 I was at 234.68 and today (11/12) I am down to $233.04. The thing I've been doing is exercising in the morning. It seems to help me get started in the right direction (and keep going in the right direction the rest of the day)

Topics:

05:36 Meet Lisa Kahler

06:50 What Was Lisa's Path to Success?

09:50 Consistency Not Intensity

15:59 Self-Love/Self Care

24:40 Discipline

34:24 Accountability

45:26 Patience

48:51 What Thing Made You Say - ENOUGH!

Mentioned In This Podcast

Big Fat Skinny Dish.

Check out our Resources

Logical Losers Accountability Group

NordicTrak S22i Exercise Bike

It's been a while since we've talked, and I'm up .8 lbs. I've been down a bit and now I'm back up a pinch. I'm resetting and going back to focusing on sleep, water, exercise, and calories. In general, making my health a priority.

FITNESS WATCHES ARE LOOKING CLASSY

I was getting my weight for my weigh-in (I have a Withings scale) and I noticed they have some very cool-looking fitness watches that have a nice classy look. Check them out

THREE QUESTIONS THAT CAN BOOST YOUR SUCCESS

This comes from Elizabeth Benten who is the author of the book stop chasing cupcakes. I interviewed her back in 2020.

She explained these three questions and I wanted to share them with you.

1). What can I eat that is better than what you "typically" eat.

So if you usually eat brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts, you might find something like Kellogs Raisin Bran is actually healthier (not healthy, but healthier) than what you normally eat.

2). How does it make you feel?

There are certain foods I don't eat often (Big Macs, Mr Hero Roman Burgers) and yet when I do I often feel bloated, tired, starving, etc. Feelings that are not good. This can slow us down, and just hinder our success in whatever we are trying to do.

3). Does it work?

In the end you might find healthier things to eat that don't make you feel bad, but when you step on the scale - well, it's not moving. The good news is you are headed in a better direction, but you're still not headed in the best direction. Keep tweaking.

CHECK OUT OUR RESOURCE PAGE

We have a great list of resources to help you at

www.logicalloss.com/resources

Shocking Scientific News on Weight Loss

According to this article, you should avoid sugar, get sleep, avoid alcohol, exercise more, and stop smoking.

WHAT REVOLUTIONARY ADVICE

This is what makes this show harder and harder to produce. I started this show in 2008 with the goal being that a weekly show would help me hold myself accountable. It did. Then id didn't. Then it didn't.

While I've loved inspiring people to keep trying to lose weight, my audience has had more weight loss success than I have.

It's Not You - It's Me

Consequently, I'm starting to lose my passion for producing the show. I'm running out of things to talk about. This doesn't mean I don't appreciate you listening, but I'm just bring honest, that some of the thrills of doing the show are depleting.

New Hosts on the Horizon

I'm looking into some new people to co-host and eventually take over the show. It's very early, and admittedly for a guy who is saying "it's taking too much time" to produce the podcast, it doesn't make much sense to turn this into "logical idol." I mean, let's state the obvious. This isn't Jeopardy looking for a new host.

I'll keep you in the loop as I move forward.

In my last episode, I was up to 235. This episode as I end July, I'm at 232.96. Part of this success was based on a few simple practices.

BECOME A LOGICAL LOSER

If you need moral support, and bonus inspiration, become a logical loser at www.logicallosers.com

Why Weight Loss is Hard

In listening to Mel Robbins, Who is the author of the book The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage (get the audiobook for free) she brought up something that is so simple, and yet makes so much sense.

Why is doing all the things that lead to weight loss hard? You know things liked:

• Giving up Sweets
• Alcohol
• Exercising
• Getting up early
• Trying new foods
• Giving up soft drinks

We all know this stuff. We know we need to make lifestyle changes and not just jump on the latest fad diet.

Are you ready?

WE DON'T WANT TO DO THOSE THINGS.

Does that make sense doesn't it? We want to be healthy. We want to love longer and avoid pain as long as we don't have to do anything we don't want to do.

Do You Rember When Your Parents Were a Pain In Your Butt?

They said things like:

• Put your dishes in the dishwasher
• Clean your room
• Make your bed
• Be home at a certain time
• Go to bed (little ones love this)
• Take out the trash
• Save Your money

Why did they tell us these things over and over and over?

BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT TO DO THEM

The Mel Robbins 5 Minute Rule

Mel says our brain has two sides. One is autopilot and the other is an emergency brake. We go through life doing those same things over and over. When we try something new, our brain gives us about 5 seconds to take action before it will slam on the emergency brake and stop us from trying something new.

Mel suggests we do a countdown as we say out loud 5, 4, 3 ,2, 1 and then we take action. For me, while it doesn't work 100% of the time, it does work the majority of the time.

KEEP LOOKING

I have also identified the lie is, "I don't have time." I started walking 2 miles a night. I didn't think I had time. I started taking different paths around the neighborhood until I found one that was mainly flat with a few hills.

I do it somewhere between 7-8 pm to start. If I'm enjoying myself I might take a different path. The hardest part? Putting on my shoes. For me, walking isn't hard.

GETTING OUT OF BED

In the morning this is one thing I struggle with. Doing the countdown, or just being my own parent, I've been getting out of bed and riding my exercise bike. I don't always use one of their built in programs, but I continuing to build that habit of getting out of bed and exercising. Something I plan on doing as I now return to the road for my job.

I'm up a touch (235.9). What is upsetting is before the July 4th holiday I was actually down to 233. Time to refocus, and for me, I'm being "active" but not "exercising." 

AMAZON HALO GETS A NEW FEATURE

The Amazon Halo (their version of a fitbit) has announced a  new feature where using your camera on your it puts you through a test and provides you with a movement score. If you do "not so good" it provides exercises for you to get back in shape. I plan on doing this as I realize the older I get the more putting on my shoes feels like an Olympic event. 

The Halo is $99, and comes with six months of membership. Then it's only $4/month (much cheaper than apple). More information

GRANDMA IS BUSTED

I was watching (I think) 90-day fiance. A woman who was overweight said she didn't know why she was fat. She told her grandchildren she was going to go get weight loss surgery. The children then let the camera crew know Grandma eats LOTS AND LOTS of sweets. If you're not sure why you're gaining weight and you have a six-year-old in the house, ask them. They will tell you with no filter. 

SMALL CHANGES LEAD TO BIG WEIGHT LOSS

I was a story about Dan who had started a business, got married and had two children in a short amount of time. He had also moved (in case he needed more stress). 

With the birth of his children, Dan knew he had to make some changes. He cut down on carbs and sugary snacks. He looked and added food that was nutritional. He got used to being slightly hungry and if he needed a snack he made it a healthy won. 

He focused both on strength training and cardio. It took some time to lose the weight, but in the end, his health helps him handle the stress better. He was sleeping better. 

He did this without ALL OR NOTHING thinking, and just started heating healthy choices and exercising more. He lost 75 lbs and looks and feels much better.

Keep in mind, it takes time to start reversing the years of abuse we have put into our bodies, but we can do it. 

BECOME A LOGICAL LOSER AND KEEP THE SHOW GOING

Go to www.logicallosers.com and get additional content, accountability partners and more.

Today I talk about a way to be honest with yourself along with a new protein drink I'm trying and my first steps with a new rowing machine. 

WEIGH-IN

In the last episode, I was 235.7, and in this episode, I'm at 235.2. While I would appreciate a larger number, I am grateful to be going in the right direction.

SAY YOUR MEALS OUTLOUD

In the past, I've been in some weird health-related situations. When I said, "OK, I'm in my 50's, I have a tightness in my chest, and I'm having a hard time taking a deep breath" hear those words out loud inspired me to go to the hospital. 

When you hear yourself say, "I could drink some Huel right now and it will tie me over until dinner, or I can catch some hamburgers in the dive-thru, it can make your choices a little more easy to see (hear) which one is the better choice. You may hear it in your head, but hearing the words come out of your mouth can be more powerful and inspire you to make a better choice. 

HUEL?

Huel is "Human Fuel." It's not just a protein drink, it is not "Diet Food" as they put it "It's Food-food." Indeed it is as one shake will come in at 400 calories. Huel can help you with weight management. But unlike diet shakes and simple protein powders, Huel is made with ingredients like oats, rice, peas, coconut and flaxseed. As in, real food. So you fuel your body with what it wants: a balanced macro-split featuring 27 essential vitamins and minerals.

It sounds expensive. My first order was $72 (as you have to buy two bags). However, that is 34 servings which comes out to $1.94. 

I bought the vanilla and chocolate bags and I like both versions. Even though I mix it with water (not milk) it comes out pretty thick. I find them filling and tasty (not so tasty that you want second, but not something you have to force down). 

As it's getting hotter out, cooking inside can make life miserable (even with air conditioning) this can be a quick meal if you're on the go, an easy breakfast, and it comes with a pretty cool shaker that is easy to use, and easy to clean. 

If you want to try it, you get 15 off first order at www.logicalloss.com/huel 

My First Impressions With a Rowing Machine

After going down many a rabbit hole on YouTube, I was looking for either a Sunny Health & Fitness Phantom Hydro Water Rowing Machine - SF-RW5910 ($599), and another "top of the line" rower was the Century 2 Model D (Rowerg) which now goes for $1200. That's a bit nuts. I started watching ebay, and a friend of mine told me to watch Facebook Marketplace. 

I started checking Facebook Marketplace more and more (and liked the idea of searching for things in my neighborhood. Sure enough, I found someone near me selling a brand new Century 2 Model D for $400 off the price of a new one (even more if you tag on shipping, accessories). It was still very impressive. I knew what I was getting into. One video pointed out that, unlike another exercise where you can kind of multitask, you need to focus while rowing (and it can be boring). 

The manual said to start slow with 5-minute workouts (which I did) I eventually increased and tried this exercise video to start as a beginner. 

So far I'm happy, and I'm already feeling my upper body start to benefit. I'm going at a pace (slower than suggested or I'd kill myself - and that's fine). 

If you're looking for used equipment you might check out Facebook Marketplace.

JOIN THE LOGICAL LOSERS

Need some accountability? Someone, to help support you and brainstorm ideas to help you lose weight? Go to www.logicallosers.com and join others trying to lose weight.

Weigh In: 235.7 (down from from 237)

Today we are looking at Sugar. Depending on who you read the recommended amount of Sugar is

25g for women

38 g for men.

According to this video she said the world health recommends 50g or less with a goal of 25 g. (four grams of sugar is 1 teaspoon of sugar).

This is not so much the sugar that comes in food, but the sugar that is added.

Some associations say 10 g per day. The bottom line is, if you're listening to this podcast my guess is you're getting more sugar than you need (I know I am and in June I'm going to purposely try to cut back).

The fun thing about sugar is it has 60 NAMES (WTF?!?!). see http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/hidden-in-plain-sight/#.YLVHS6hKiUk (right-hand side column)

Become a Logical Loser

Do you get value out of this podcast? Join the Logical Losers accountability club at www.logicallosers.com and find the support you've been looking for.

Check Out Our Favorite Fitness/Weight Loss Resources

I've assembled some of my favorite tools and resources in one place. see

https://www.logicalloss.com/p/resources/

Steps to Take:

Read the label and avoid sugar, syrup, or things that end in "Rose (like fructose)

Eat more protein with meals to keep you full and avoid cravings.

Soda and other drinks are often a huge culprit (the 8 oz can of mountain dew has 25 g of sugar.

Don't worry about sugar that comes in fruits as they also have fiber and nutrients. This is more about added sugar.

Don't swap natural sugar for a sweetener as those often are not healthy.

Realize cutting down sugar (cause it's in EVERYTHING) is very hard.

If you eat some birthday cake, don't punish yourself. Enjoy the occasional piece of cake and get back to focusing on good options.

BOTTOM LINE

The bottom line is that it’s not as simple as “all carbs or all sugars are evil”.

By following some simple rules, you can include some sweetness in your life in a healthful way:

Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruits (and sweet veggies). Their high content of fiber, water, and other nutrients, makes them a net win.

Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages and liquid sugars, because they ‘whack’ your system hard and fast, and can fuel overeating.

Avoid refined grains, as they cause your blood sugar to spike even more than pure sugar!

Moderation, moderation, moderation. The dose (and context) make the toxin!

SOURCES

8 Ways Food Companies Hide the Sugar Content of Foods

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-ways-sugar-is-hidden#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2

11 foods that have more sugar than you think

https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/foods-that-are-surprisingly-high-in-sugar/

How Much is Too Much Video

https://youtu.be/F-qWz1TZdIc

WEIGH IN

I'm down 1.3 lb.

TOPICS COVERED

04:39 3 Main Components of Fitness

10:00 When Dave Overdid it

11:41 Full Body Vs Split Body Workouts

13:24 Studies on Getting Hurt

14:21 Females Who Are Worried About Bulking Up

16:56 How Important is Tracking Workouts?

18:50 Nutrition Insights

23:33 Client Story

Here is an App that makes it easy to do HIIT.

APPLE

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seconds-pro-interval-timer/id363978811 

GOOGLE

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.runloop.seconds.free&hl=en_US 

Here is a tutorial on easy to Seconds Interval trainer

https://youtu.be/DVN5Jn6yZUk 

Thanks so much for being a patron. I deeply appreciate it.

Check out our Resources Section For Our Deals

https://www.logicalloss.com/p/resources/

Help Support the Show At

www.logicalloss.com/store for a one-time donation

or join our accountability club at

www.logicallosers.com

• Lose Cardio and Do More Weight Training
• You can get the benefits of cardio by doing HIIT like a weight lifting circuit training
• Get a Scale that shows weight and body fat. See the resources page. This way you can measure more than one level of fitness.
• Eat protein and veggies for breakfast
• Ditch the booze and Soda
• Drink plenty of water
• Get plenty of sleep
• Take Vitamin D

Interesting Insights

Chili is the ultimate dad bod buster thanks to its mix of vitamins, minerals, protein and, especially, its beans. Think of every bean as a little weight-loss pill. One American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that people who ate ¾ cup of beans daily weighed 6.6 pounds less than those who didn't even though the bean eaters consumed, on average, 199 calories more per day.

Researchers at the University of Utah monitored the metabolic rates of 10 adults as they drank varying amounts of water per day. In the study, those who drank either eight or twelve 8-ounce glasses of water a day had higher metabolic rates than those who had four. The scientists reported that you may burn 2 percent fewer calories if you're dehydrated. That may not sound like a lot, but a moderately active man will burn between 1700 and 2000 calories a day. A 2 percent drop means—which means between 34 and 50 calories a day, which means somewhere between 3.5 and 5 pounds per year.

It's been a good run with Dave, but now it's time to start getting to bed earlier. A study in Finland looked at sets of identical twins and discovered that in each set of siblings, the twin who slept less had more visceral fat. 

Sources:

Lifehacker

EatThis.com

Fitness19

I Bought a Massage Gun

I bought a Bob and Brad massage Gun. Why? Because I had seriously sore muscles (my legs) after jumping into the deep end too quickly. I thought this might help. I tried what looked like a bumpy rolling pin, and it didn't seem to help.

Using the Massage gun seemed to help my legs. I didn't use it one night and used the other. Keep in mind this didn't eliminate sore muscles, but it did reduce the amount of soreness.

The unit is super quiet and easy to swap heads. I like the one that is someone like a shock absorber.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

1. Read the directions
2. Do not put use this on your neck/spine
3. If it hurts (in an OW! kind of way) stop doing that.

At Amazon is has 820 ratings with an overall score of five stars. Bob and Brad are physical therapists.

I'm sad to report that I'm up 1 lb and I'm at 235.

Resistance Bands Hurdles

I bought a Hyfit resistance band set. It's high-tech portable, and kind of geeky. It needs a door that opens out. All of the doors on my bedrooms open out (not in).

I also noticed that to work all of your muscles you will need to work different muscles you will need to move the location of any door anchors.

What I did was bought multiple door anchors and used a closet that I don't need to get into too often. I have one on the top and bottom and one in the middle.

If you're new to resistance bands this has a set of bands and the door anchors I mentioned built-in.

The last thing I bought was a good old-fashioned door stop.

By adding three-door anchors and the doorstop, I think I've got a working system. As always be careful and contact a doctor before doing any exercise.

Fit After Fifty

I purchased a package from Fit After 50. Seems a little gimmicky, but I'm going to give it a shot

Vitamin D is a nutrient that your body produces when you are exposed to sunlight. It is also found in food, including fish and eggs. You might be wondering if you need Vitamin D in your diet because of the COVD (Climate Change). There have been many cases where people were deficient due to lack of exposure to the sun. In this blog post we will talk about what Vitamin D does for your body, how much do you need, and if it's possible to take too much?

Weigh-In

I am down a smidge to 234.5. I've removed cereal from my house (as I can't eat "just one bowl") and I'm slowly eating less meat after looking into a more plant-based lifestyle.

What is All This Talk About Vitamin D?

Vitamin D Deficiency

Much of this information is from this website

In the United States, 41.6% of the total population is deficient. The symptoms of a Vitamin D deficiency are not always as easy to identify, especially if you're out in the sun. Many people live healthy lives without experiencing problems from this condition, but for some, it could mean loss of joint function or issues with muscle growth and recovery time.

The most well-known symptom of vitamin D deficiency is rickets, a bone disease common in children in developing countries. Rickets has been mostly eliminated from Western countries because of the fortification of some foods with vitamin D.

Deficiency is also linked to osteoporosis, reduced mineral density, and increased risk of falls and fractures in older adults.

What’s more, studies indicate that people with low vitamin D levels have a much greater risk of heart disease, diabetes (types 1 and 2), cancer, dementia, and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.

Finally, vitamin D deficiency is linked to a reduced life expectancy.

Two Types of Vitamin D

Two main dietary forms exist

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Found in some animal foods, like fatty fish and egg yolks.

Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Found in some plants, mushrooms, and yeasts.

Of the two, D3 (cholecalciferol) seems to be almost twice as effective at increasing blood levels of vitamin D as D2.

Benefits of Vitamin D

• Reduced risk of osteoporosis, falls, and fractures.
• Better strength. Vitamin D can increase physical strength in both upper and lower limbs.
• Cancer prevention. Vitamin D may help prevent cancer. One study noted that 1,100 IU per day — alongside calcium — reduced cancer risk by 60%
• Depression management. Studies show that vitamin D may ease symptoms in people with clinical depression.
• Reduced risk of type 1 diabetes.
• Improved mortality. Some studies suggest that vitamin D reduces people’s risk of dying during the study periods, indicating that it may help you live longer
• However, many of these results are preliminary. According to a recent review, more evidence is necessary to confirm many of these benefits

How Much Should I take?

This seems to be up to debate.

400 IU (10 mcg): infants, 0–12 months

600 IU (15 mcg): children and adults, 1–70 years old

800 IU (20 mcg): older adults and pregnant or breastfeeding women

Although adequacy is measured at 20 ng/ml, many health experts believe that people should aim for blood levels higher than 30 ng/ml for optimal health and disease prevention

According to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, the safe upper limit is 4,000 IU. This is interesting as many manufacturers are selling pills there the dose is 5000 IU.

It May Need Other Nutrients to Work

Some researchers claim that fat-soluble vitamins work together and that it’s crucial to optimize your vitamin A and K intake while supplementing with vitamin D3.

This is especially important for vitamin K2, another fat-soluble vitamin that most people don’t get enough of.

Magnesium — another important mineral often lacking in the modern diet — may also be important for vitamin D function.

What Happens if You Take Too Much?

It is a myth that it is easy to overdose on vitamin D.

Vitamin D toxicity is very rare and only happens if you take very high doses for extended periods.

The main symptoms of toxicity include confusion, lack of concentration, drowsiness, depression, vomiting, abdominal pain, constipation, and high blood pressure

Where to Buy Vitamin D?

In looking for sources, I found Amazon Elements which is Amazon now selling supplements. A bottle of Vitam D3 is 10.99 for 180 capsules if 5000IU vs Nature Made at 14.72 for the same bottle.

Please remember, I'm not a doctor or a trainer. Please consult your logical doctor before taking supplements.

His Book is THE PLANT-BASED NUTRITION : HOW IT'S GOING TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE (WEIGHT LOSS,SPORTS,COOKBOOK,WELLNESS PLANT-BASED,WHOLEFOOD Book 1)

It is also available on Audible. You can get it for free at http://logicalloss.com/freebook

TOPICS:

The Weigh In

Oliver Mankondo Conversation

What about Protein

What Inspired Oliver to Stop Earing Meat?

How Did Your Body React?

Should I Go Cold Turkey?

Do You Ever Crave Meat?

Where Did You Find Recipes?

Do You Crave Vegetarian Foods Now?

What Inspired Oliver to Write the Book?

What is Inside the Book?

What Has Been the Biggest Surprise?

What Other Medical Conditions Disappeared?

What is At His Website?

Different Varieties of Vegetarianism

Testing the Waters

Get More Information at Oliver's website

http://oliviermankondospeaks.com/

Become a Logical Loser and Join the Accountability Club

www.logicallosers.com

Today he shares three tips to help your body into a state to promote Termogenic Weight-Loss

Topics include:

What is The Thermogenic State

The Current Fad: The High Fat Diet

Tip 1 Eat Breakfast

The Bell Curve

Night Time Snacking Isn't Healthy

Eat It Tomorrow For Lunch

Battling Cravings

Whole Food Supplement

Proteins At Every Meal

Multiple Meals a Day

Fasting and Your Metabolism

Gift for Listeners

FREE GIFTS FROM STU

Bonus 1: The Metabolism Quiz

Are You Causing Your Body To Store Fat And Burn Muscle? You'll Find Out Once You Take The Quiz!

Bonus 2: The Thermogenic Weight-Loss BLUEPRINT

Discover The Proven System That I Use... And All My Clients Use... Because It Flat Out Works!

You'll Learn How Easy It Can Be To Lose 5 Pounds In The Next 14 Days!

Go to https://stuschaefer.com/logical

SUPPORT THE SHOW

Become a Logical Loser and join our accountability club!

www.logicallosers.com

In my last episode, I was 233. I'm up to 234. I was doing better. In January I completed my goals 50.4%. I February I got that up to 61.4% but as you can see there is room for improvement. Currently, I'm at 54% for March so I need to get my butt in gear.

Clay Groves Has Lost 19 lbs in Three Months

Clay is the Chief Fish Nerd at www.fishnerds.com he is one of my favorite people in podcasting and is nice enough to share what is working for him.

Clay chose to do one thing a month.

He has his treadmill set to10 on the incline.

January was to get on the treadmill

February was his diet.

He treated his health like he was an addict.

How to fight the SNE

March he added weight lifting

Fat wants fat - why it's hard to lose weight when you were fat.

Have Bad Minutes - not bad Days

Understanding your Emotions and Overeating

Dave signed up at Better Help

Kinky Fish

Become a Logical Loser and Support the Show

www.logicallosers.com

WEIGH IN

Hey, I'm actually down (last episode I was 234.03 and now I'm 233. As I mentioned in the Facebook group, you do have a GOOD VOICE that is cheering you on and the more you listen to that voice the louder it gets. 

I've been doing more exercise and hitting my goals, and consequently, the scale has been my friend. 

What is HyFit Gear? 

Check out this Video 

It's like resistance bands on steroids (and you only need ONE band). 

I actually ordered this and bought the deal where you get TWO YEARS of their app (you pay an extra $10 to save $180 seems like a no brainer)

You can actually get started for $0 and then pay $15 for 12 months. 

I understand that more muscle = more calorie burning. I rearranged my "home gym" and the Total Gym takes up a TON of room (and NO, I'm not going to set it up and tear it down). 

I set six daily goals and with January in the books, I was successful 50.4% of the time. We all have to start someplace.

80 oz of water 67%

7 Hours of Sleep 67%

Scale Went Down 58%

Took a Multivitamin 54%

30M of Exercise 42%

1900 Calories 17%

I started the month at 235.3 (a new record high for me) and I ended the month at 234.03. As I wanted to be 231, I was off from my goal, but I did lose (so it could be worse)

Leave Yourself Some Margin

I had a hard drive crash. So many times when I went to do something I had to start from scratch. In the end I'm getting my files back (4 TB of data thanks to Backblaze) but the 9 days without the files I need to operate really put a new level of stress on me that had me taking more trips to the kitchen. When I opened my Healthy Wage app, it let me know in very clear words, "I'm behind my goal." OK, we get that.

That is over. Let's put it behind us and focus on what we can do to turn it around. So by looking at what I was doing right (and this meant tracking EVERYTHING that went in my mouth) and what I wasn't it was OBVIOUS that I need to focus on the calories going into my body.

Not really a surprise, but the data smacked me in the head and got me to refocus.

The Amazon Halo - More than a Tone of Voice Detector

I spoke about the Amazon Halo when it first came out. We all were interested in the "tone of voice detection" and that it took somewhat creepy 3D pictures of you and stated that it was super accurate in regards to body fat percentage.

The device stated it was distraction-free, and consequently, I ignored it most of the time I ignored. This week I started to look at the exercise and labs and some of these were interesting. I like the guided "win won for the gipper" kind of talks on 10 minute walks (great for walking around the block). There are labs (goals) like "Drink a glass of water before every meal." The bad news is you need to keep the app in front of you (put it on the front screen of your phone). You can have it send notifications to your phone (but for me, those are easy to get lost in the sea of notifications). In the end, it is YOU who has to keep focused on your goals.

The nice thing is these extra programs from different sources (like weight watchers, headspace, etc) are only $4 a month. That beats some of these other monthly fees for things like peleton, fit, apple.

Mentioned In This Episode

Backblaze Computer Backup

Amazon Halo Fitness Tracker

Logical Losers Accountability Club

Logical Weight Loss Resources

I watched a movie titled, "Beyond Weight Loss." I liked it as it was agenda-free. It just presented some great facts and in the first 10 minutes, I learned my over-priced Almond Milk 75% Fat.

MY NEW WATER JUG

It's HUGE but hopefully will keep me on track. I filled it up and had to put it on its side to fit in the fridge and it doesn't leak.

5 steps to self-change

Awareness

Contemplation how am I going to do this

Knowledge

Action

Self-accountability (habit) you want to

Check out the Movie on Amazon Prime 

I personally started today (Sunday the 27th) filled with hope (and I share the "Stupid" thing I did to say goodbye to 20202).

1. We think we read, we watch, but when it comes to action we don’t take enough action.
2. Sometimes the reason is we set HUGE goals. After all, “Go big or go home,” is a common saying these days. Those huge goals can be intimidating and so we trigger negative thoughts in our heads as we start to think “We can’t do it.”
3. If we do get past our negative thoughts we sometimes jump in with both feet and try to go from zero to 60 in record time. This leads to injury, burnout, and a pace that is not sustainable. We need to treat our weight loss like a marathon, not a sprint. Start with one step that you can accomplish then add another and another and help to make them habits.
4. We have unrealistic expectations. I think we might feel this because we can gain weight easily, so it must be easy to lose it. IT’s not. In the same way getting pregnant can take very little time and kind of fun, but getting the baby out is a whole different story.
5. We create a plan of doing things we hate. Sometimes we think we are doing the right thing by coming up with a plan filled with things we hate to do and the food we hate to eat. Then we wonder why it didn’t work. We have to get creative and come up with a plan that will work for us. There is a plan, we just need to find it. It’s not impossible. We just need to keep trying.
6. We focus on the wrong things. Sometimes we get the cart before the horse. We focus on the scale (the results) instead of focusing on the steps that will result in the scale going down.
7. We don’t track our progress. This results in us only focusing on how far we have to go which can be intimidating. When you track your progress you can see when things are working so you can do more of it.
8. We try to do it alone. Studies have shown having an accountability partner can help. In the logical losers private Facebook group, we weigh-in every Wednesday. When you know you are expected to share your weight, you might think twice about that second helping. Support can also spur you to keep trying when things don’t go perfect. To hold myself accountable, I recently started a HealthyWage challenge of losing one pound a week for six months. If I’m successful, I’ll not only lose weight but earn some extra cash.
9. You haven’t identified your why. We often make resolutions because it’s January. That’s not a great reason. For me, I’m not happy with my appearance. I’m single. If someday in the future I want to take my clothes off in front of another consenting adult, I have a lot of work to do. Currently, they would need to be blindfolded, and have the lights off. I also want to be around for my great-nieces and nephews.
10. You’re not making your health a priority. This is me. It sounds so “DUH” but if I don’t keep my health, and my goals and my strategies front and center, I forget them and find myself doing all the things I KNOW will lead to more weight gain, and at best keep me at my current overweight self. If you’re saying, “I don’t have time” what you’re saying is it’s not a priority.

We find time to brush our teeth, feed our kids, wash our clothes, we need to make ourselves a priority.

Some tools to help you.

Don’t overthink it. You have things like reminders, tasks, stopwatches, to nudge you when you need it.

For tracking, I love cronometer. It’s cheaper than my fitnesspal, and I believe more accurate.

For tracking your progress, check out the Streaks app (on iOs) or the Habit Share App which is for both Ios and Android, and allows you to share your habits with an accountability partner.

Momentum Browser Plugin. https://momentumdash.com/ Keep your goals in front of you. Every time you open a new tab, your goal is in front of you. You can put in affirmations, link it to your Todoist account, and more. It even integrates with your Fitbit.

If you love challenges, I mentioned HealthyWage where you can pick your goal and time to achieve it. You pledge money to inspire you. If you don’t achieve your goal, you pay. If you do achieve your goal, you get your money and additional money. Who doesn’t want to lose weight and get paid?

If you want to challenge your friends there are tools like HealthyWage (although I’m not a fan of their lose 6% in 12 weeks types of setups as their 25% fee is a bit high for me). You can purchase my Weight Loss Competition Spreadsheet (similar to the biggest loser) for $10

Affirmations can help you rewire your brain and lose your negative attitude. I know it sounds “woo-woo” and I thought that for years. I now use them, and any time I start to fail, I always notice I’m not doing my affirmations. I love the Think Up App (both iOs and Android). You can try it for free.

If you need a “to do” list, I love todoist as you can have your todo list everywhere (phone, computer, tablet) and you can use it in your Gmail. Want to a reminder to email this person next week? It’s one click.

If your resolutions include anything about Money, I love YNAB (You Need A Budget)

In a nutshell:

Make Your Resolutions Work by:

Write down your goals

Break a large goal into smaller achievable parts

Track your progress daily

Make it public (if that works for you)

Create routines that support your goals

Be accountable

I'm looking forward to 2021 and I'm currently fired up and ready to go.

Want more resolution tips? See https://www.logicalloss.com/smart-resolutions-1/

Become a Logical Loser

Accountability partners at www.logicallosers.com

230 Lbs (up 1 lb from the last episode)

After starting 75 hard, and completing 4 out of seven days I may have felt a bit dejected. This leads to some bad choices and heaven the weight gain. Meanwhile, I am starting to exercise more. 

Today is the first day of the week, and while I liked the idea behind 75 Hard, it seemed a bit too aggressive for me (which is somewhat the point). As I pointed out previously, I recently went through a move and many other things and just put my health on the back burner. 

In the end, what 75 Hard is about is pushing past that voice in your head that always finds excuses to allow you to make bad decisions (see above). 

What I’ve done is I decided to make my own contest. If you’re on an iPhone you can use the streaks app (https://habitshareapp.com/ ). Habitshare is an app for both Android and Ios and it allows you to share your goals with an accountability partner. https://habitshareapp.com/

Here is another motivational tool https://www.stickk.com/

Stikk nickname is logicalloss if you need someone to referee or as a recipient.

Become a Biggest Loser

Need some extra support? More content? Accountability Partner? Come be with people just like you who are going through the same challenges as you. Join the Logical Losers at www.logicallosers.com

WEIGH IN

In my last episode I was 229, and after going up after Thanksgiving, I am back to 229 (so I'm the same). I am exercising more, and watching what I eat to I highly expect to be down next episode.

Am I Burning Carbs or Fat

I've always viewed cards as kindling and fat is the "logs" of a fire. You need the kindling to start the fire, but to really stay warm you need to logs to catch fire. So you need both carbs and fat, but how do you know if you are burning carbs or fat?

The Lumen Shows You What You're Burning

I've been using this, and it takes all of five minutes to breath into the device in the morning, and it lets you know how you're doing, and what to do to achieve your goal. It somewhat looks like you are vaping.

The device is scientifically proven to be accurate. It's not a toy, and previously this kind of test was only done at a medical facility and now you can do it at home. (right not there is a black Friday sale, and it rarely - if ever- goes on sale.

When you adjust your diet to start burning fat more efficiently, you know you're heading it the right direction.

For more information see www.logicalloss.com/lumen

75 Tough - What Is it?

75 Tough is a challenge from Andy Frisella where for 75 days you are required to:

• Read 10 pages
• Follow a diet
• Abstain from alcohol or cheat meals
• Drink 1 gallon of water (128 ounces)
• Take a progress picture
• Perform two 45 minute workouts
• One workout must be outside.

You can also add your own personal items if you'd like.

The program is designed to build the mental toughness and self-confidence that you will need to live your best life.

When you sign up at www.75tough.com he will attempt to get your to buy his book for $20 (beware on Amazon people are trying to sell you counterfeit versions) and listen to his podcast (he is a bit of a "brah" for me. Then they want you to download his free app.

I can say that so far I have not spent any money (I am going to buy the book) and I'm not receiving a bunch of spam.

There is a voice in my head that laughs just thinking about doing this, but there is only way to know if you can do it. If you want to try go to www.75tough.com

Become a Logical Loser?

If you want more motivation, accountability and/or want to support the show become a Logical Loser for $5/month at www.logicallosers.com

WEIGH IN

229.3 - I consider this my new starting weight.

LIFTING WEIGHTS - HOW TO GET STARTED

According to an article on Yahoo, you can try doing full body exercises every other date. It's really important to give your body time to recuperate. You need to let your body repair itself. This time is when your muscles come back bigger.

WHY?

According to that article, "Numerous scientific studies show that regular strength training can be a huge benefit to your health long-term by improving cognitive function, emotional and mental well-being, and mobility by reducing muscle loss as you grow older."

Keep in mind your muscles burn calories, and you naturally lose your muscle as you get older (yes, that does suck). The less muscles you have, the less calories you burn. The less calories you burn the more weight you may put on.

HOW HARD DO YOU PUSH?

For muscle definition, choose a weight that has you fatigued by the end of six to 12 repetitions. In general you want to push yourself to the point where you can't do any more. As always contact your doctor and be safe (have a spotter if you're using a bench and doing bench presses). Your muscles get bigger when you push them to the point where you can't do it.

During the day off your body repairs your muscles, and actually comes back bigger.

EVENTUALLY DO MORE

At some point the weight you are using will become easier, and that's when its time to increase one of the following:

• The number of sets,
• The number of Reps,
• Or you add more weight.

People who do weight training on a regular basis reap the benefits years later. You may not like it now, buy your future self will thank you.

SUPPORT THE SHOW BECOME A LOGICAL LOSER

A private Facebook accountability group with additional information is at www.logicallosers.com Come join the conversations and enjoy "Motivation Monday" "Weigh In Wednesday" and more.

www.logicallosers.com

My Weigh In

The days of fast food are over as I'm up 2 lbs. My three month project of moving into a house is 98% done, so expect to see this number go down in the next episode (which should be much more regular).

See Meghan Shrink

What an amazing story! Here are some key points.

Meghan played football on the boys team.

She use to eat out all the time

Introduced to vegetables via seasoning

Had that accountability of a partner (see logicallosers.com )

Focused on the activates not the number on the scale

Set a small goal that she could accomplish on a daily basis.

She used a journal (I use penzu.com)

She rewrote those negative scripts in her head.

She use supplements to give her a boost.

Find out about her coaching, food ideas, instagram, and more at

www.seemeghanshrink.com

Become a Logical Loser

Looking for a group of people to help support you and cheer you on! Check out www.logicallosers.com You get bonus content, and you help support the show.

WEIGH IN

I talk about this today. I'm going up and down on a somewhat regular basis, but the end result is I'm pretty much staying around 227.

NEW FITBIT SENSE

In this episode I mention where the heck I've been, and what has caught my eye. The new Fitbit Sense which now has Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant built into the Watch. It also can measure your oxygen blood status (like the new Apple iWatch). In addition to the Alexa and Google assistants, they added a feature that helps track how stressed you are. 

From their website:

The new EDA sensor on Fitbit Sense measures electrodermal activity responses. Using the EDA Scan app, place your palm over the face of the device to detect small electrical changes in the sweat level of your skin. Measuring your EDA responses can help you understand your body’s response to stressors and help you manage your stress. You can do a quick EDA Scan session on device to see your responses, or pair it with guided mindfulness sessions in the Fitbit app to see how your body responds during meditation or relaxation. At the end of your session, you will see an EDA response graph on-device and in the mobile app to gauge your progress over time and reflect on how you feel emotionally.

While I love the way technology can help track our ups and downs, and inspire us to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone, I sometimes wonder, "Do I need an app to let me know that I'm rested? Stressed? They may find things I can't see. I'm just not sure these extra features are worth the hundreds of dollars (more) than something like the smartwatch from Fittrack.

I will admit that the thought of having Alexa and Google on the watch made me go, "oooh," we should all remember that if you have your phone with you (and c'mon, when was the last time you were without your phone?) you can talk to "Lexy" or Google, so don't get too excited about a feature you already have. 

I COULD HAVE BEEN LOSING WEIGHT

As a logical loser you know I've been in a long three phase project of moving. As I approach phase three, and I see (via my trackers) the activity I've done, I could've used this time to lose weight. Who knew cleaning baseboards or painting burned so many calories? I know my legs, my thumb, and other parts of my body sure felt it. 

Had I taken just a little bit of time I could've been eating healthier meals for dinner. By eating healthy breakfasts, and lunch, this resulted in my basically going up and down, but more or less staying the same. 

Tonight after I got done doing some work on the house I went out and took a brisk walk for 25 minutes. The world did not come to an end. I still completed everything I wanted to. While we are all busy, maybe we are not as "24/7 busy" as we think we are. 

DON'T PRACTICE DOING THE BAD STUFF

So while I didn't completely ignore my weight loss efforts, I took my "foot of the gas" without putting it on the break. By doing this, you then have to take the step of "pushing down on the gas pedal" and depending on how long you've been coasting, the harder, or stranger, that step may feel. Keep your foot on the gas.

BUY CANDY YOU DON'T LIKE

With Halloween candy now out earlier and earlier, don't fall for it. If you buy it early, this means you can eat it early and then have to buy MORE just to feed the neighborhood kids (IF they are having trick or treat with COVID in your neighborhood). Do you have a candy you hate? (I had to think about it, but butterfingers were never my favorite), maybe that is the best treat for the kids to help you avoid "trying just one." 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Fitbit Sense

Fitbit Verse 3

Fittrack Atria

BECOME A LOGICAL LOSER

Come experience motivation Monday and weigh-in Wednesday along with a community of other people who are just like you. Its a support group, and accountability team all in one. Check it out at

www.logicallosers.com

What is it?

It measures how much oxygen is in your blood.

What Happens If We Have Lox Oxygen Levels?

Low levels may be the result of a lung disease such as severe COPD that inhibits oxygen flow, or it could indicate there is carbon monoxide in the air, which the body will mistakenly use to replace oxygen.

It can be symptoms of:

Having a low blood oxygen level (hypoxemia) can present a number of problems. Symptoms can include a blue tint to the lips, skin or fingernails, chest pains, confusion, coughing, disorientation, headache, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath and wheezing. Many of these signs of hypoxemia can also be symptoms of COPD and other pulmonary issues, so it is essential that if you struggle with breathing or heart problems, you pay close attention to your symptoms. Any increase may mean that you are not getting sufficient oxygen.

Conclusion - Not So Fast:

Yes, it is new and shiny. A new feature that could be helpful to track your health especially if you have lung issues, or sleep issues. It can raise a red flag. The $400 price is a bit much, but let me know explain why.

Aura Ring

After saving for over a year I bought an Aura ring for $300. This is great for tracking your steps, temperature, and sleep. The addition of temperature and something you can wear while you sleep (as the battery lasts long) its pretty cool. But not so fast. 

I already have an Apple watch, and for me, I didn't really gain much except the better sleep tracking and temperature. I did have a bit of buyers remorse. Not because its a bad gadet, but you don't get much if you already have an Apple watch, or even a Fit bit. 

There is even a more inexpensive option

I was looking for budget gadgets and alternatives to the Apple watch or Fitbit (as all of these are getting expensive). I found a great tool called the Fittrack Atria. 

Forget the daily recharge with a 7+ day battery life to not miss a single thing! All-new FitTrack Atria will start tracking your sleep, heart rate, breathing along with receiving all of your notifications from your phone. There are 7 Exercise Modes to make sure you’re getting the right information.

If you use the link www.logicalloss.com/fittrack you save an additional 25% discount. 

• All-day tracking
• Get text message, calendar reminders
• Sleep tracking
• Heart Rate Tracking
• 120,000 Happy Customers 
• The best part $129, now on sale $99. 

The new Apple watch is $399. The "scaled down" version is $329. 

The Fittrack Atria is on sales for $99. 

The Fittrack, Smart Body BMI Scale is also $89.95 (a Withings scale is $95 )

 FitTrack scales are a simple and effective solution to stay motivated. Measure, track, and trend your body vitals over time with 17 Health Measurements at the comfort of your fingertips. 

I'm impressed with their features and pricing. I don't have any of these items, and may not order them (as I have enough gadgets). If you have one (or order one), let me know as I'd love some first-hand insights.

Become a Logical Loser

The private accountability group where you get Motivation Monday, Weigh-in Wednesday, and more. see www.logicallosers.com

You've heard me talk about the book Chasing Cupcakes, well today I HAVE THE AUTHOR and she does not disappoint. Elizabeth Benten just has this non-nonsense way of explaining things that is like "Tough Love" with a layer of icing to make it a little sweeter (but still have you saying, "Oh yeah, that makes sense). 

We talk about:

Dealing with childhood obesity

Finding trustworthy information (or should you)

Dealing with your past (and how to move past it)

How she found the persistence to lose 150 lbs. 

I really, really, love her book Chasing Cupcakes and if you want to hear her read it for free

go to www.logicalloss.com/freebook to get it on Audible. 

Also check out her website www.primalpotential.com where you can:

Find her podcast

Classes on Nutrition, Barrier Breaking, Daily Mindset Upgrades, or hire her as your coach. 

Check out her before and after pictures at

https://primalpotential.com/about/ 

(scroll down to see them)

Dave's Weigh In

I'm struggling to find time to exercise and lying to myself that picking up moving boxes (keeps me active) is the same as exercise. It's not the same thing. Consequently, I'm up to 227 from 225. 

Join Our Private Accountability Club

We have motivation Monday, Weigh In Wednesday, and more. It's only $5/month (17 cents a day!) go to www.logicallosers.com

Mentioned In This Episode

Chasing Cupcakes - on Amazon

Get it for free on Audible

Elizabeth's Website http://www.primalpotential.com/

The Logical Loser's Accountability Club

WEIGH IN

In the meantime I had gained some weight, and the good news I lost it and I'm back to 225

WHEN YOU SAY YES...

Right now I have so much stuff on my plate it is not leaving any margin. This is not a good plan. This is somewhat obvious, but in case you didn't notice.

When you're time is booked 24/7, when you say YES to another thing, it means you are saying NO to something else. For me this meant my exercise time went away, and consequently the weight cam back on. Bummer. I realized this, and adjusted my eating a bit, and took my situation (Moving) and turned it into exercise (you can burn calories cleaning).

I know right now in a pandemic thing and priorities are all screwed up, but never forget that if you're booked solid and say yes to something, you're going to have to say no to something else.

There are only 24 hours in the day.

JUMPING ROPE GOES HIGH TECH

You can get a really nice jump rope for a reasonable price.

They now make Jump Ropes with counters

Then I heard about Smart Jump Ropes.

Smart Rope Rookie: An App-Connected Jump Rope that Motivates You to Jump to New Heights

SmartRope Rookie, or just Rookie for short, is a true and improved fitness experience like never before. The smooth and easy handling of this jump rope makes your next cardio workout a pure breeze. Far from being a simple jump rope, the Rookie connects to the free SmartRope app, which tracks your workout stats, exercise progress and lets you challenge others to a jump rope competition. The Rookie is the future of connected fitness in both your hands!

SmartRope app is our app that connects to the Smart Rope Rookie, which receives and relays your workout information in real time. The information provided through the app creates an “anytime, anywhere” fitness experience. The SmartRope app is available on Android or iOS devices, as well as fitness wearables!

Jumping rope is a workout that can be done virtually everywhere. Think of all the reasons we don’t work out - it’s raining, we’re too busy today, we don’t want to add yet another monthly expense to the budget. If you have a few square feet and a few minutes, you can have an incredibly rewarding cardio workout, at work, at home, or anywhere else. Combined with the advanced technology of the SmartRope app your workout, and body, can only improve!

If you love competition, gamification, stats, and tracking.. you'll love this

Logical Losers

If you're looking for some accountability, some more motivation then check out the Logical Losers Accountability Club at www.logicallosers.com

Here are the 10 Unhelpful Thinking Styles

1. Mental Filter:

2. Jumping to Conclusions:

3. Personalization:

4. Black and White Thinking:

5. Catastrophising: .

6. Overgeneralizing:

7. Shoulding and Musting:.

8. Labeling:

9. Magnification and Minimization:

10. Emotional Reasoning:

Recipes: You can use these ingredients to create a dish, but you can also group food together. Tired of adding both the milk and the protein powder? Same them under a recipe and add the recipe and they are both added to your diary.

Accuracy: They have PEOPLE check the labels if you find a food that is not in their HUGE database. 

EASY: If you find a food not listed, take a picture of the data label, and the app "reads" it and enters the information into your custom food for you.

Less Expensive: There is a free version (if you don't mind ads) but if you want to go pro its cheaper than MyFitness Pal.

Check Our Cronometer

Check it out at www.logicalloss.com/foodtracking 

Thanks to Maria for the review in Apple Podcasts. If you want more content become one of the Logical Losers our private Facebook group and accountability club at www.logicallosers.com

Now go make good choices!

On 7/14 for about seven minutes I accidentally redirected my School of Podcasting show to look at the Logical Weight Loss podcast feed. If you're looking for the School of Podcasting your phone updated during that seven minute period.

Please search for the School of Podcasting and re-subscribe to the show to continue to receive episodes in the future. My apologies for the hassle you can go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/subscribe for links if you need them.

This is why you don't do important feed stuff five minutes before you go to bed...

Dave Jackson 

2018 Hall of Fame Inductee

Podcast Consultant, Speaker, Author 

www.schoolofpodcasting.com 

Follow me on Apple or Android text " sop " to 31996

July 4th Set My Back

There was pie and a 3 lb weight gain. I was like, "WHAY?!?" but there it was. This undid about two weeks worth of focusing on weight loss. All gone in one day. It seems weight loss is so hard.

Think of Weight Loss Like a Bank

How do you save money? One dollar at a time. There is an article that explains taking a penny that doubles every day or a million dollars now. You want to take the penny. (see article) .

You don't wake up some day and go "Wow, I'm rich." You've worked at it over time, and made good choices.

In the same way one workout does not make you fit. One healthy meal does not mean you're going to drop lbs tomorrow. You are putting deposits into the bank of fitness and over time with consistent deposits, that compound over time (improving your muscles which burn more calories) eventually you will wake up and go, "Hey who is that in the mirror?"

Don't Quit on a Bad Day

I heard this from three different sources this week, so I knew I had to include it in the podcast. Don't quit on a bad day (I heard this in the book Chasing Cupcakes as well as from a friend.)

Instead of quitting on a bad day, wait until a good day when you are in a better frame of mind (and also are less likely to quit).

Focus on your next choice, and make it a good one.

First Impression of the Lumen

There is a say you can't manage what you don't track. There is a device that can now measure your metabolism by analyzing your breath. It's called the Lumen.

I just started using it this week. I love how well it is put together and packaged. It's super easy to use, and the app (both android and iOs) walks you through using the device and explaining your results.

The device is based on proven science and by breathing into the device it measures if you're burning more carbs or fat.

I love how focused they are on delivering accurate data so you can make informed choices. I'm looking forward to using it going forward to see what I can learn. see www.logicalloss.com/lumen

WEIGH-IN

I'm proud to announce that I'm down to 227 (1 lb since my last episode). 

WORDS MATTER

If you are somewhere where you can write, start a list of all the things you think you CAN'T do, and then start a list of things you CAN do. If you're like me, the CAN'T far exceeds the cans. We just love to beat ourselves up. We're good at it as we practice all the time. 

Elizabeth makes a great point in her book. If words don't matter (as we often blow off our self deprecating humor) then go in and write "YOU SUCK" on the mirror before your kids get up so they see it EVERY DAY. 

NOBODY would do that to their kid, but yet we say all sorts of negative things to ourselves EVERY DAY. Elizabeth says we need to quit listening to ourselves and instead start talking to ourselves. 

Over the years I've gone from thinking affirmations are "Woo-woo" to "I think these are helping" and with this example, I TOTALLY GET why affirmations work. 

If you're new to Audible you can get the book FOR FREE. If you don't like it return it. If you like it but don't want a subscription, cancel and keep the book. MORE INFORMATION

I'm a big fan of the ThinkUp App (for both iOs and Android) 

WHY THOUGHTS ARE SO IMPORTANT

Thoughts Drive Choices

Choices repeated turn into Habits

Your habits create Results

Your results inform your beliefs

Your beliefs generate more of the thoughts that drive choices, that drive habits, that drive results that drive beliefs.

Thought: "I have no will power."

Choice: You eat when you're not hungry

Habit: Eating at all hours of the day (hungry or not)

Result: Weight gain, self-loathing. That loathing leads to more negative thoughts. 

QUIT LISTENING TO YOURSELF AND START TALKING TO YOURSELF

When you start to recognize those negative thoughts, talk back to them, and you will slowly change those negative thoughts. 

I'm a big fan of the ThinkUp App (for both iOs and Android) 

Logical Losers Get 25 Weight Loss Affirmations

Become a Logical Loser by going to www.logicallosers.com and get a safe support group 9on Facebook) that helps hold us accountable. Be around people like you going through the same struggles. Be part of motivation Mondays. Weigh-in Wednesdays. Thankful Thursday and more items to help keep you on track.

It's only $5 a month and keeps the show going. 

See www.logicallosers.com 

It sure looks like I know what my winning combination is, and yet here I am two weeks later and I'm at the weight I was two weeks ago. 

I did gain some weight, and so I lost some weight to get back to where I started. 

Hissy Fits are a bad idea. I don't recommend. 

PERSISTENCE

I found some great quotes about persistence:

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

― Winston S. Churchill

“Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.”

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”

― Thomas A. Edison

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

― Calvin Coolidge

NEW WALKING APP

If you love stats then you will love Walkmeter (they also have apps for bike riding and running). see  https://abvio.com/ 

I love that I can have what appears to be a speedometer which makes it easy to see if my heart rate is where I want it to be (I realize I could just start the heart rate app). The app is $10/year. I love stats. 

BECOME A LOGICAL LOSER

$5/month to join a safe place to talk about your weight loss struggles and hold yourself accountable. see

www.logicallosers.com

Chasing Cupcakes is a new book I'm going to be listening to at Audible. Check it out at http://logicalloss.com/freebook

Streaks App 

Happy Scale

In a weird "double negative" kind of goal I set one negative goal of "Don't Eat Bad Food" and when I start the day it's checked. Hence, I have to purposely choose to eat bad food. 

I like Happy Scale (ios only) as it breaks your overall goal into segments and then shows your progress on each segment. 

Weigh In 

228. I'm at the same weight as I was on the last episode. 

Kevin Hart The Decision

I first got the book, The Fitness Mindset and while it talks about muscles, fat burning, exercise, supplements, it doesn't seem to talk about the fitness mindset. I've got about an hour left and this guy has talked about everything but the thing I bought the book for. 

Then I found Kevin Hart's book The Decision. It's what would happen if Tony Robbins, the Secret, and Kevin Hart had a baby. It's inspirational, uplifting and funny. 

You feel like Kevin is sitting across the table from you giving you a pep talk. For me, it helped this week. There were times when I wanted a Wendy's Frosty or Dairy Queen, and I "cowboy duped" and just hunkered down and got focused. 

I like his appendix which each chapter is a pep talk for specific sections. 

If you are new to Audible you can get the book for free by clicking here.

Become a Logical Loser

Get additional support and keep the conversation going by joining out support the group the Logical Losers where we have a safe place to bond together and lose weight. 

www.logicallosers.com

I love that this is so portable, and the app is fun. You are a spaceship that is trying to fly straight to hit targets. Depending on how hard you squeeze dictates how high the spaceship flies. 

It lets you know how hard you were pressing and keeps all sorts of stats. It lets you know if you've improved (or not ) since the last time you did this exercise. With this in mind, you can see your progress. It notifies you of any streaks you're on (I'm on a 2 day streak - woo hoo!) 

Also in the "stats" is it tied into my Apple health data and which then tied into MyFitnesspal. In English, when I exercise using this the calories I burn automatically show in MyFitness pal.

You could easily do this during commercial breaks watching TV. I could see your kids LOVING this. 

The only part that I was like, "Hey, um, that's Yoga" was when they have you get into a Yoga pose (nothing too crazy) and then integrate the Activ5 into the pose.  Using the Activ5 takes isometrics to a higher level, and the tracking in the app keeps you motivated. 

Check it out at www.logicalloss.com/activ5

Does Your Kitchen Make Sense?

I've made a conscious effort to cook more. Due to the pandemic, we are all home more, but I want to get out of the habit of eating the same things over and over. I started using Plan To Eat which is a great app that allows you to manage recipes, plan your meals and create a shopping list. 

see www.logicalloss.com/plantoeat

Looking at my kitchen and doing some Googling I noticed my dishes were nowhere near the dishwasher. I live in a small apartment, so it wasn't like I had to take a bus to put the dishes away, but none the less it could be easier. 

Are you using the top of your cabinets? You could store cooking sheets up there and light gadgets like slow cookers, etc. 

For me, I'm going to try to clear the counter space next to the stove to be used as a food preparation area. It makes sense to prep the food where it's going to be cooked. 

see https://www.thekitchn.com/5-things-we-can-learn-about-kitchen-zones-from-this-diagram-kitchen-design-lessons-216828

By keeping things organized and efficient, you are less likely to think of cooking as a "hassle." 

Support the Show

Join the Logical Losers Accountability Club. 

at www.logicallosers.com 

Weigh In

I weighed in at 226.6 on May 11th. Today I'm weighing in a 228.6 which is somewhat frustrating. Typically I have some really good days and other days where I go over 2000 calories. So I've been inching my way back up, and that's why I decided to try something new. 

How Did Adelle Lose Weight

According to her trainer, "She has been doing three things:

Eating a balanced and inclusive diet.

Going outside your comfort zone with a regular exercise routine.

Getting restful sleep to allow your body and mind to recover.

Ultimately, he said, you need to be patient.

Dynamic Resistance and Yoga

So I've heard about Yoga, and if you take the mediation part out I just wanted the exercise. I found that in an online program from an ex-professional wrestler call DDP Yoga. The guy's name is Diamond Dallas Paige and he suffered an injury in his back and used Yoga to get back in shape. While he is very much a "dude" this can be used by anyone. 

In simple terms, it's like flexing all of your muscles as you move from one position to another. Dynamic resistance increases your heart rate and gets you into your Fat Burning zone. It converts slow-moving, easy activity into fat-blasting muscle toning that quickly builds a sexy, slender, strong body.

Without Lifting a Weight My Heart Rate Was Over 100

I was amazed at doing what appeared to be stretching my heart was going up and up and up. Here is an example if you're sitting in a chair try to push your knees out as you try to pull them in. Another option is to use your arms. Try to move your knees outward as you push on the outside of your knee and push inward. It's your legs vs your arms. 

What I liked about this Program after Three Days

You can start at any level. They even had some workouts where you are in your bed. Then you migrate to a chair, then eventually standing. 

DDP Yoga also offers many modifications to the poses. This is especially helpful for me. According to Men's Journal, men are more likely to get injured doing Yoga as we don't listen to our bodies. 

They summarized it is " For a relatively small investment of time and money, DDP Yoga offers a safe and sensible way to tone up and get the flexibility training you likely need. But don’t rely on it as a stand-alone cardio – or weight training – routine."

Why Am I Trying Yoga?

I have some nice gym equipment, and as Oprah said, "We can always find an excuse," but in some cases have to wear special pants (for my bike to save my butt), or what can seem like a harsh reality to get on a treadmill right out of bed, right now it's me in a pair of shorts in my living room. My Yoga Matt shows up this week (so I didn't wait for it to show up). 

I've always thought Yoga was too "woo woo" for me, but as I get older, being able to stretch and maintain flexibility is going to become more important. I don't want to end up like to many older people who are hunched over. I realize sometimes there is a condition that causes that, but for now after three workouts over a week, I like it. 

Become a Logical Loser

A safe place to support each other as we focus on weight loss.

Check it out at www.logicallosers.com

Mentioned In This Episode

The Video That Sucked Me In

https://youtu.be/iz9nsEjSS1o 

Adele's Weight Loss 

Heart Rate Monitor

My Weigh In

I'm up to 226.6 after getting up to 229.9 (almost 230 which would've been a new record). The last time I did an episode I was 225.3

Today I'm back on the back, back on doing the right things.

Dealing With Grief

Face your feelings

Express your feelings in a tangible or creative way

Try to maintain your hobbies and interests. 

Don’t let anyone tell you how to feel, and don’t tell yourself how to feel either.

Plan ahead for grief “triggers.” This is all me...

Anniversaries, holidays, and milestones can reawaken memories and feelings. Be prepared for an emotional wallop, and know that it’s completely normal. If you’re sharing a holiday or lifecycle event with other relatives, talk to them ahead of time about their expectations and agree on strategies to honor the person you loved.

Look after your physical health. 

Full Article

Become a Logical Loser

see www.logicallosers.com

Today on 4/8 I weight 225.3 

Today 4/20 226.6

Why Don't I Feel Happy When I Step on the Scale?

I'm up a bit since the last episode. I say back and took a long look, and I notice I'm missing that 

ZAH!

ZING!

WOWEE!

When the scale goes down. 

We need that! It's that feeling that makes us, inspires us, to do all the right things over again. 

When I look a long look it is that WOW! when you step on the scale and your brain going "IT'S WORKING!!!" that really motivate us to keep doing what is working. 

What does my brain say? Well, you'll have to listen. 

Become a Patron

Go to our Facebook accountability group at www.logicallosers.com

Want to do a one-time donation?

see www.logicalloss.com/support

You got this. Think about your next meal. Make it a good one.

On March 31st, I weight 225.8

Today on 4/8 I weight 225.3 

How Did Jimmy Kimmel Lose Weight?

According to an article in Men's Journal

He had gone years without weighing himself and when he finally did, he had come a long way from the skinny days as a teenager. 

He says, "I decided I was going to have two protein shakes and a very small dinner every day. I did that for eight weeks, then I switched to a strict 2,000-calorie-a-day diet. I lost 25 pounds that way. Then, for a while, I'd eat a piece of salmon daily for lunch. Now the idea of eating salmon is revolting to me.

My new thing — something I've been doing for a couple of years now, actually — is starving myself two days a week. People call it the 5:2 diet, but I've been doing it since before it had a name. On Monday and Thursday, I eat fewer than 500 calories a day, then I eat like a pig for the other five days. You "surprise" the body, keep it guessing.

The 5:2 Diet

According to the Daily Burn, the 5:2 Diet was invented by Michael Mosley (author of the Fast Diet and The 8-week Blood Sugar Diet). and Mimi Spencer. 

The idea is when you’re eating far fewer calories than normal, your metabolic rate actually speeds up and your body also gets on with essential repairs. It’s a bit like doing a spring cleaning,” says Mosley. “Instead of having to spend time and energy digesting your food, your body works on repairing itself instead,” he adds. Not to mention, you’re cutting a total of 3,000 calories per week, which is significant enough to help people slim down.

Mosely recommends following a Mediterranean-style diet containing fruits, vegetables, oily fish (like salmon), nuts, olive oil, yogurt, cheese, and even the occasional glass of wine.

What about Starvation mode? According to Mosely, your body only goes into starvation mode if you've deprived it for weeks. 

Danny Elfman Masterclass

Danny Elfman has composed music for a TON of SUPER SUCCESSFUL movies, and yet he still doubts himself. He mentions in a preview of his masterclass (where he teaches composing) that he still doubts himself, and that to grow you need to fail and learn from your mistakes. 

So if the scale goes the wrong way you are not a failure. You are learning. Take that experience and put it to use as it will benefit you. You can't be afraid to try. Check out his masterclass

Danny Elfman Teaches Music for Film

Become a Logical Loser

Help support the show and become a Logical Loser at www.logicalloser.com

My Weigh In

I'm up 4 lbs. On March 12th I was 221.8 and today I'm at
225.8. I'm up four pounds. The weird part is I'm not sure why. There are some factors:

• My fridge is packed now where I use to have it empty and eat more fresh fruit. 
• I bought "snacks" like pudding and yogurt which I have a very hard time eating "just one." 
• I've not been getting as much sleep

So Now What?

I need to get a better understanding of why I do what I do, and why I think what I think. I'm going to dip my toe into meditation (which I've always felt is "woo-woo" and see if I can't get a better understanding as I practice "awareness." 

I'm going to check out Mindfulness for Beginners

Biggest Loser Wrap Up

The finale is this week. Their last episode had a great part where they looked at where they stared and where they were now. There was one great point by a trainer. You should avoid saying:

I would be happy if I could get to (target weight)

They point out that you need to be content at whatever weight you are as getting to a target weight may make you proud, but it may not make you happy as there will always be another trial, there will be other hurdles. 

What's Wrong with Me?

It's easy to fall into this line of thinking. Instead of focusing on what is wrong with you, focus on the things you are doing right. You are:

• Kind
• Loving
• Compassionate
• Caring
• Generous

So while there may be room for improvement, there are some areas that you are just fine in. 

Become a Logical Loser

Get access to our private Facebook group, bonus content, and the episodes advertisement free. 

Go to www.logicalloser.com

Back Home is Back To Your Triggers

When I'm on the road I don't know where the closest ice cream place is. I don't know where all the bad stuff is located. That's a good thing.

You're Not Stupid

We all know what steps are good. Things like:

• Getting enough sleep
• Counting your calories
• Drinking-Water
• Exercising
• Eating Fruits and Vegetables

We also know things that are bad such as:

• Fast Food
• Ice Cream
• French Fries
• Chips
• Soda

So we know what we need to do, but we still do the wrong thing. That seems weird. I think its called being human. Don't beat your self up, but instead take a second and figure WHY you are making these bad choices. WHAT TRIGGERED YOU?

The sooner you figure this out, the sooner you can come up with ways to not get triggered. 

When you look at your actions ask yourself, "Is this going to lead me to lose weight or gaining weight?" If it's not going to move you in the right direction STOP. 

Table of Content

01:15 Weigh In
03:00 Black or White - Good or Bad
15:38 Upright Go Review
19:16 The Stupidest Way To Start the Day and it Works

Posture Training With Upright Go

I got an Upright Go 2 to help me sit up straight and it does that really well. However, I also slouch (move my shoulders inward). You can sit up straight and still slouch and there are braces and such to help get your shoulders in line. The Upright Go vibrates when you stop sitting up straight. It's pretty cool. 

Start The Day in a Goofy Way

I listened to Zig Ziglar "See you at the top" and he was talking about starting the day by clapping your hands and saying "Today is going to be a great day." It sounds goofy. I say try it. It seems to work. 

Losing Weight on the Road

A quick way to burn some calories is to take the stairs on any breaks. I did this two to three times a day and according to my Apple watch, my heart rate was in the "exercise zone" without getting covered in sweat.

I found that because I stayed busy, I barely ate (typically a large salad at night). If I can do this on the road, I should be able to do this at home. 

Music Makes Exercise Fun

Exercise and fun are two words that don't typically go together, but for me, I made a playlist in Spotify and it has songs that "Pump me up." The "fun" is "pushing" during the chorus and "regular exercise" during the verse. This gets my heart rate up and keeps it there. 

When you win the super bowl you are covered in confetti. I now consider sweat my confetti when I exercise and smile when I start to feel it run down my back. 

A Great Book For Tough Love

A no-holds-barred, tough-love guide to dealing with your emotional issues and changing your mindset in order to finally lose weight, from the creator of weight-loss reality TV, including The Biggest Loser and Extreme Weight Loss.

I got this book via Audible, but it's also available in Amazon for the kindle, and paperback.

A Ring with a TON of Power

Your new secret weapon for personal improvement. It's a ring that measures everything an Apple Watch or Fitbit might measure AND THEN SOME. 

A friend of mine had one and was telling me the true power is it gives you a rating on how your body is. This helps you avoid over-exercising and being too sore (or in my case getting sick). 

They are $300 at https://ouraring.com/

Biggest Loser is Back

The biggest loser is back. I have a Facebook group to talk about the show HERE. The thing I noticed this week is the team that lost seem to have the worse attitude. One guy kept saying "It's impossible." The trainer corrected him and said "Not impossible - I'm Possible." 

Check out my Biggest Loser Fan Cast

Logical Losers Support Group

Help support the show by buying me a coffee, or join the Logical Losers support group ( a private facebook group) and help keep the lights on here at the Logical Weight loss show (and get the podcast Advertising-free. 

I am down to 224.8 ( a .6 lb loss). Not great, but its better than going up. 

Brittany Runs a Marathon Review

This is a fun comedy with some serious undertones. I really liked it. Ladies this has some other things that you will connect with that as a guy didn't connect as much, but I can still appreciate it. 

I really love one part of the movie where her friends are not being supportive, and you finally start to see Britanny start to stick up for herself. 

see https://amzn.to/2Gw1mhQ

Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!

This movie gives you a glimpse into "Big Chicken" and the lovely US government. I really loved the movie as it clues you into marketing jargon that tricks us into thinking things are healthy when they are not. This is not an "anti-chicken" in a "we are killing chickens" kind of way (the moviemakers seem to understand you need to kill them to eat them). You do see where these birds are raised and bred to gain so much weight so fast that they often have heart attacks - and that is seen as a good thing. 

see https://amzn.to/36sqzUM

Commit to 3 App

CommitTo3 is a daily task management system that increases productivity through focused tasks and peer accountability. Accomplish more and achieve success — all with the help and support of your team.

Each day you pick THREE things you need to get done by the end of the day. You can invite friends and family to be on your team and everyone can see everyone's tasks (so you might want to leave "have ore sex" off the list). This way you can see when someone if not hitting their marks on a consistent basis and offer support. To use the app you need to subscribe for $3/year (not a typo). 

Commit to three on Apple

https://podclick.me/committo3ios

Commit to three on Android

Click Here

Become a Logical Loser

Go to Logicallosers.com

Just want to donate to the show? 

see www.supportthisshow.com

MY NOT SO LUCKY GREEN SUIT

I had to wear a suit to a speaking gig and I hadn't worn a suit in a while. To make a long story short none of my suits fit. I'm at least 20 lbs heavier than I was when I last wore a suit. 

The fun part of this is there is only one person blame. I was not a fan of myself at that moment. I took that time and turned off my phone, TV, computer and just took some time to embrace how bad this felt. I DO NOT WANT TO FEEL THIS WAY. It hurt. 

WHY CAN'T WE GET UP TO EXERCISE

To get to Boston I had to get up at 5:30 AM which is EARLY for me (very early). Yet, when the alarm went off I got up in a slight panic, took a shower, finished packing, and got out the door on time.

WHY? Because I had to. I had one shot to make my flight. If I missed my flight, I didn't have the money for another ticket or fee to get another ticket.

WE NEED TO KEEP THE SENSE OF URGENCY

We need to think of the opportunities we have to do the right thing as a plane. We have ONE SHOT to get it right and embrace that urgency and do the right thing. 

NOTHING feels as good as watching the scale go down on a consistent basis. No taste gives you that feeling. 

You're smart.

You know the lies we tell ourselves.

Quit listening to the lies. 

You can do hard things (you do every day).

Consider me your uber driver here to take you to the airport to catch the plan to onederland. 

The other thing that is killing me is a lack of sleep. My ears ring all the time and have for years, but for some reason, it's starting to affect my sleep. When I set an alarm to get up an exercise it takes an Olympic effort to get out of bed.

It seems unfair that I can work for two weeks straight and lose two lbs, and stop for two days and gain it all back. The reason it seems unfair is because it is. You know what else it is? Reality. We have to find a way to deal with it.

LOSING WEIGHT IS HARD BUT THESE MAKE IT EASIER

STOP DRINKING YOUR CALORIES

I started finding myself drinking the occasional coke, hot chocolate, etc. If you can stop drinking calories, you will be amazed at how that will boost your efforts.

STAND INSTEAD OF SIT

Standing desks have come down in price (they use to be around $1000 and now some are under $100 with electric desks coming in around $300).

According to Jillian Michaels standing burns 1.5 the number of calories. If sitting burns sixty calories, standing burns ninety. 

AVOID CHEAT DAYS

The idea is to have a sustainable life. We try to be good Monday through Friday and then on the weekend we indulge and when we do WE GO ALL IN and erase all the work we did during the week. 

BUT ITS SO HARD TO BE GOOD 100% of the TIME

If we can be good 80% of the time we will make progress. You want a hamburger? Fine. Have a hamburger but skip the fries and the coke. You can have both. 

You want 80% of the calories you consume in a day to be better view calories. The Noom app does this. There are green foods (eat as much as you like), Yellow Foods (Be cautious), and Red Foods (WARNING!). You want to avoid the Red foods, and keep the yellow food in check. You are looking for balance. 

By using the 80/20 rule you are not depriving yourself 100%. Sure there will be things you have to postpone, but the ability to enjoy one item can take some of the dread of dieting, and the same of dieting, and make you feel a bit normal. 

Become a LOGICAL LOSER

Join our accountability club at www.logicallosers.com

I skipped a workout (typically every other day) and said, "I'll just end up doing two workouts back to back days." In other words," I"ll do it tomorrow."

So I did and I'm here to tell you my body doesn't like it. In the long run this won't work. So this episode is for me to listen in the future to remind myself that as hard as it is getting on my exercise bike, getting off I always feel proud with a boost of momentum to start the day. 

Building Self Discipline

An article in Entrepreneur stated

1. Know your weaknesses
2. Remove temptations
3. Set clear goals and have an execution plan
4. Build your self-discipline
5. Create new habits by keeping it simple
6. Eat often and healthy
7. Change your perception about willpower
8. Give yourself a backup plan
9. Reward yourself
10. Forgive yourself and move forward

I didn't know "captain obvious" worked for Entrepreneur magazine. 

Mentioned in this Episode
What Is a Calorie Deficit, and How Much of One Is Healthy? 
Healthy Wage 
Noom App 
Try the free CSS beautifier lets you easily beautify stylesheets for your websites.

First things, I'm down .3 lbs. Not a huge win, but not a loss.

Currently, the Noom app is giving me Green, Yellow and Red foods.

The Most Addictive Foods

Interesting article on the most addictive foods (hint its not broccoli)

Eat Yourself Sexy 

I found an interesting show called Eat Yourself Sexy on Amazon Prime, and while the show has some "meh" reality TV isms, I liked that you can spot what OTHER PEOPLE are doing wrong. Watch an episode or two and then go into your kitchen and pretend you're on the show.

I also thought it was interesting that in 8 weeks women were losing 2 dress sizes and those that exercised (in addition to changing their diet) lost 20 lbs in 8 weeks (amazing what a little focus can do).

Rolling Your Muscles?

I bought a Doeplex Muscle Roller Massage Stick and I'm not sure it really does anything. I tested by just rolling my right leg, and so far don't feel any large difference.

Become a Logical Loser

Get the show advertisement-free, and join our safe private Facebook group as we support each other and hold each other accountable. Go to www.logicallosers.com

By adding a weekly average option it really is a red flag when you see your weekly average go down. You might also have a bad day (but have had a few good ones) and the week isn't as bad as you think. 

Stress and Weight Gain

See article 

Not too Late to Join the Weight Loss Challenge

It's only $20

see https://podclick.me/ffc2020 

Become a Logical Loser

This is our private Facebook accountability group. It's a safe place to ask for help, get support, and help you reach your weight loss goals. 

Logical Losers also get the show advertisement free.

Go to www.logicallosers.com

November 5th I am at 226. 

November 19th 225. 

Different Types of Food Triggers

Behavior Chains start with triggers:

Environmental
Biological
Mental
Emotional
Social
Triggers Produce Thoughts

Thoughts Lead to Actions

Actions lead to consequences

Consequences 

Physical
Psychological
Physiological
Emotional
This example is from Noom

Mentioned in This Episode
5 Ways to Battle the Holidays

Noom Weight Loss App

Join the Fitness Focused New Year

November 5th I am at 226. 

November 19th 225. 

Join the Healthy Wage Challenge

https://hwage.co/1408044/

Lose 6% of your weight by February

Controlling Your Attitude

I've been pretty good on hitting my benchmarks:

10 glasses of water

7 hours of sleep

30-60 minutes of exercise

1900 calories. 

And yet.... 

Trust the process. Hang in there. 

Mentioned in this Episode

Zero Fasting App

Available on Android and Apple

Life Fasting Tracker (available on Apple or Android)

https://lifeapps.io/apps/life-fasting-tracker/

Diet Fiction

Last episode on October 19th I was 228.3. Today on November 5th I am at 226. 

How Do I See My Step Count on an Apple Watch?

Press the button on the side and scroll down until you see "all Apps" and choose the activity app and then scroll down.

Calibrating your Apple Watch

The NordicTrack S22i has a ton of features and is in the same price range so I wanted to compare the Peloton Bike vs the NordicTrack S22i

NordicTrack S22i

Price: $1999 
Assembly $249

iFit Coach - Free for 1 Year ($15/month after year 1)

or 5 accounts for $33/month

Year One Expense: $2248

Year two subscription $180

"normal" pedals, heart rate monitor, weights included

350 lbs capacity

Peloton Bike

Price: $1999 
Assembly $250

Subscription $39/month

Year One Expense: $2713

Year two subscription $468

Changing pedals (or anything) on the Peloton voids your warranty

297 lb capacity

Similar Items

Both steel frames

Both silent flywheels

Both hold weights, and water bottles, interactive training

Peloton Bike Advantages

Half a foot shorter (takes up less room)

Blooth options for headphones

Can stream video to larger devices (streamcast)

NordicTrack S22i Advantages

Weights come with bike, you can use normal shoes, heart rate monitor included.

Toe cage or flat side pedal 

Changing pedals or seat does not void warranty

Digital Resistance (24 levels)

iFit coaches can automatically adjust

Warranty is Better on NordicTrack S22i

The Frame has a lifetime warranty on the Nordictrack S22iwhere the Peloton frame is only under warranty for five years. 

The parts on the Noridictrack is three years compared to one year on the Peloton

Both have labor for one year. (remember its super easy to void the Peloton review)

I Don't Understand Peloton's Subscription

If you DON'T have their equipment you can subscribe to their app for $19/month. If you are a customer (and have their equipment) they charge you MORE ($39/month) 

You CAN have UNLIMITED users. The Nordictrack (for families) is $33/month for five people. (or $15/month) for one person. Nordictrack is Google Maps Compatible. 

Peloton has referral codes for customers where you can get $100 off accessories. You can search on

A Cheaper Alternative is the Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX5

With The Echelon Smart Connect Bike EX5 the biggest difference here is you supply the screen (iPad), and your warranty is only 1 year, and like Peloton you need to add the heart rate, weights, etc. 

Start Where You Are With What You Have

So I dig out my exercise bike. It was buried (join the logical losers to get access to the pic) 

I dug it out, and I've been writing it this week ( down from 226.8 on 10/2 to 

225 today) and I have never finished riding and felt worse. I was sweaty, and feeling proud. I'm watching Netflix and Hulu on my TV while I ride. It may not be a young screaming person on a bike, but it inspires me and stops it from being boring...

So I didn't spend $2000+ dollars and it seems to be working. 

The Green Circle on the Apple Watch

The green ring on an Apple watch represents exercise (called the exercise ring) and it shows how many minutes of brisk activity you've completed so far

1. Open the Workout app. To start, tap Outdoor Walk or Outdoor Run. To set a goal before starting, tap.
2. Walk or run at your normal pace for about 20 minutes.

If you don't have time to finish the workout, you can complete 20 minutes over multiple outdoor Workout sessions. If you work out at different speeds, you should also calibrate for 20 minutes at each of the speeds that you walk or run.

Whenever you walk or run outside using the above steps, your Apple Watch continues to calibrate the accelerometer by learning your stride length at different speeds. Calibration can also improve the accuracy of your calorie calculations in the Workout app, and the calorie, distance, Move, and Exercise calculations in the Activity app. 

After writing a book, I'm back and up in my weight. I could cry and beat myself up, but I just looked at the calendar and said: "October 1st the day I turn this thing around." I reset some data in my apps, starting getting up a little earlier, walking a little more, paying attention to my water intake. I've even cleaned off my exercise bike as its fall in Ohio, and only a matter of time until the snowfalls. 

Don't let yourself get complacent with your health. What used to scare the crap out of me is now slowly becoming the norm. That is something that can't happen. These happen in small increments, and we kind of let them fly under the radar as these bad habits and inches, um, inch their way into our lives. 

I did find an article on what famed Quarterback Tom Brady (he is a bit of a freak of Nature). See it at  https://tb12sports.com/blog/what-does-tom-brady-eat 

I'm glad to be back, and ready to get motivated.

Thanks for being a patron!

Description:

Having been overweight for most of his life, Daniel Rosado experiments with his diet and starts to lose weight. The struggles and successes are all documented here as well as interviews with health and fitness experts. If you are ready to take action and make changes to your health, the Big Fat Life Podcast is here to help.

Follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bigfatlifepodcast/

Today we hear:

• Daniel's "ENOUGH!" moment
• How he found a nutritionist
• What hasn't worked for him
• His advice for anyone feeling discouraged
• Dave's carb experiment

His show is Big Fat Life Podcast and is available in Apple and Google

224.4

When I last recorded I was 224.4 and as of today, I'm at 224.3. Am I happy that I went down a tenth of a pound? Not really. If there was a silver lining, in my weight update its that I was traveling for a week where I was stuck eating hotel food. I did take one step in planning and took some Advocare Meal Replacements with me and drank those for breakfast and skipped my lunch (attempting to do a slight version of Intermittent Fasting). With the news I received in this episode, I have new motivation.

Withings BPM Connect Review

Recently I added an Apple Watch to my tools of tracking my health along with My Fitness Pal, Sleep Cycle, and Streaks apps. As I started to investigate the Apple Health app and what tools worked primarily an Apple Watch (but also a Fitbit in case that is you). I really like my Withings Scale, and on their website, I see where they have a wireless blood pressure device called the Withings BPM Connect. It's around $95 and it's cordless and wireless. This is great for people who travel or want to store it in their desk (which is what I do).

I take it out, and put my arm in the sleeve and press one button, and it takes my pressure and displays it on the unit (along with a hint if I have an issue or note) and automatically sends it to their app which then shares it with Apple health. It was so easy to use.

High Blood Numbers

When your doctor takes your blood pressure, the results are two numbers, with one number on top (systolic) and one on the bottom (diastolic), like a fraction. For example, 120/80 mm Hg.

The top number refers to the amount of pressure in your arteries during the contraction of your heart muscle. This is called systolic pressure.

The bottom number refers to your blood pressure when your heart muscle is between beats. This is called diastolic pressure.

Both numbers are important in determining the state of your heart health.

Numbers greater than the ideal range indicate that your heart is working too hard to pump blood to the rest of your body.

Check out the New Challenges

We have a daily step goal streaks, and "total steps" challenges starting in September.

Check out the challenges.

Fitbit lost my account. As in a decade of information went up in smoke (thankfully most of the weight tracking is in my fitness pal. Tomorrow will be one week without so I ended up going and getting an Apple Watch Series 4 after hearing some friends say how cool they are.

Apple Watch Features

Really customizable screen

Apple health seems to integrate with everything

It does NOT grade how you sleep but there are apps that integrate with Apple health that do.

I can't really tell as I can't login into my Fitbit account, but my Apple Watch shows that my resting energy was 2157 after one day. This would explain why if I eat 1900 calories or less I would lose weight.

While Fitbit's are geared toward measuring calories in, activity and showing you the deficit, Apple Health is more overall health. My Withings scale integrates with myfitness pal and you can use my fitness pal to integrate with Apple health.

Nonhealth things I love. I love that I can listen to my podcasts and have my phone in my pocket and skip and fast forward etc on my watch. I love that I don't have to sync with my phone. It operates on its own. I realize the Fitbit Charge is $150 and the Apple Watch is close to $500 so its not a fair comparison. It would be better to compare it to the Fitbit Ionic which is $250.

In the end, I'm happy with my Apple watch. My wallet is lighter which makes it easy to walk.

Built-in Accountability Partner

In the Apple Activity App where you can set goals for calories burned, exercise minutes, and how many times you stand a day, you can share that with contacts on your phone.

What About Fitbit Challenges? - Enter Stridekick

I found a great app that is free (as long as your group is under 10 people) called Stridekick  that allows you to make challenges where the person with the most steps wins after a certain number of days. Here are the types of challenges:

Streak: Track the number of consecutive days you've successfully hit your step goals, and motivate your fellow steppers in streak mode.

Target: Aim for a total step goal for the challenge and track your pace and make sure you will your target before the end.

Journey: Challenge yourself in a virtual long-distance race. Participants can track in real-time where they are along the journey's path.

Leaderboard: Leaderboard allows competitive steps to achieve the ultimate glory by making it to the top of the leaderboard for best steps

Stridekick Let's Everyone Participate No Matter the Platform

According to their website:

Stridekick offers cross-device compatibility making it the perfect place for everyone to play. We support most major fitness trackers, including:

Android Phones - Android 4.2 or above through the Google Fit app.
Apple Watch
Fitbit - Zip, One, Flex, Charge, Charge HR, Surge, Alta, Blaze, MobileTracker app
Garmin - vívofit, vívofit 2, vívosmart, vivosmart HR, vívoactive, vivokí, **
Google Fit (Android, Pebble, Xiaomi)
IPhone 5s and above - Apple Health App (Polar, Pebble, Xiaomi, and more)
Misfit - Flash Cyclist, Flash, Link, Ray, Shine, Shine2, Speedo Shine, Swarovski Activity Crystal
Withings - Pulse, Pulse O2, Activité Pop, Activité, Activité Steel
Note: We are always looking to expand our list of supported devices. If you don't see your device in the list above, let us hear about it!

**Stridekick can usually connect with the Garmin Forerunner and Fenix devices, however, we can only pull from devices that report steps. If your device doesn't report steps, it will not sync with Stridekick.

Freshly Food - Good, Quick Food

There are so many food delivery services, and I've tried some but being a finicky eater (no mushrooms, no peppers, nothing too spicy) it's hard to find one that works for me. 

I was very impressed with the food from Freshly. I loved the Tukey meatballs with Zoodles, and other dishes. The peppercorn steak was really good for coming out of a microwave. 

Unlike other delivery services where there is some food prep, this is like someone delivering gourmet TV dinners. You pop 'em in the microwave and three minutes later you're eating good food. 

I will say there were some inconsistencies. The first time I ordered the Turkey meatballs they were amazing. The second time, they were great. This week I felt like the chef drop some pepper in the mix as it made my eyes water it was so spicey. I even checked on the website and this dish is not supposed to be spicy so I don't know what happened. 

Time or Money

I mentioned in a previous episode I threw together some things into a bowl with a nod towards chipotle. It was 

one cup of brown rice

3-5 oz of cubed chicken

Grape tomatoes

a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

Shredded iceberg lettuces

A dash of salad dressing. 

When I did the math it costs me $4.72 per serving and takes me three minutes to make (and that includes cubing the chicken and slicing the tomatoes in half). 

The price of a freshly meal is $12.50 a meal. The time you are saving is shopping and putting away the groceries. 

They make it really easy to start and cancel (although they really try to get you to stay). They have gluten-free, and vegetarian meals as well.

Most of their meals are between 450-700 calories. The meals I purchased were pretty heavy with salt. They were shipped well, and nothing was ever in danger. They pack them well to stay cold. 

Check them out at www.logicallos.com/freshly

Join the Logical Losers and Support the Show Through Patreon

See www.logicallosers.com

She is married and has three kids, and currently is on the road in her RV and today she shares

• What inspired her to "do something" 
• How she finds the time to exercise
• How she selected six miles as the goal for each day
• Why you can not be perfect and still get results
• She doesn't count calories, carbs, and has a cheat day
• How she worked her way up to eating one meal a day
• What she does in maintenance mode

More From Kayla Cox

Her website is www.sixmilestosupper.com

Check out her book The Laid Back Guide To Intermittent Fasting

Her website has courses, her blog, resources, YouTube and more

Support The Show

Become a logical loser and join our support group where we all lose together see www.logicallosers.com

This lead to me taking the 131 Method Course

I liked that she points out her own struggles as she ages. I liked that she points out how awful parts of the fitness industry is. She talks about a time when she was getting ready to do an exercise video and the producer/director (I can't remember which) asked her to drop a few pounds.

I love that she mentions that bad advice that is out there and how many people were spouting advice based on data that may have been funded by people who swayed the results. This did make me wonder what she was basing her exercise videos on, but none the less I admired her honesty.

I liked that she mentions in the 131 Method that you don't have to give up one food type.

How to Spot a Bad Diet Plan

In doing this podcast over the years I've noticed that almost all diet plans use the same verbiage or have similar characteristics. Here are some examples:

1. DIETS DON'T WORK - and here is how we are different
2. PHASE ONE WILL HAVE YOUR DROPPING POUNDS QUICKLY - so you tell all your friends
3. TASY RECIPES THAT LEAVE YOU FEELING FULL - that for me include avocado and green pepper (two things I'm not a fan of ) in everything.
4. HAVE ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS TIED TO THE DIET - a course, a recipe book, etc. The diet is the bait to hook you into other products.

So it's too soon to tell if the 131 Method is legit or a Fluke

To Be Something You Have to DO SOMETHING

Why am I taking the 131 Method course? Because what I'm doing now isn't working. I consider it an investment in myself (and its a LOT cheaper than the days I went to Slimgenics). 

What If Your Body Was a Kid

I was listening to the book Backstage Pass by Paul Stanley (the lead singer of Kiss) and he makes a great statement about divorce and not talking bad about your spouse. Do you hate your ex more than you love your child?  Which is more the love and desire to protect your child or your ill feelings for your ex? 

I think everyone would scream "My Child is the most important thing in my life!" Then maybe we should treat our body like it was one of our kids. We wouldn't feed our kids things that are horrible (but we do to ourselves). 

Where Did All This New Inspiration Come From?

I have been passive about my weight loss efforts for the last few months and my results have shown this as I've gained weight. So what did I do to get reignited? 

I joined the 131 Method course and I thought, "If I'm going to do this, I'm GOING TO DO THIS." Step one to take a selfie of yourself. This will be a "before picture." There is something about the word "Before" that caught me. It had me picturing myself in the future. It had me planting my flag saying "NO MORE - THIS IS IT." 

I took a picture of myself from the front and a profile picture which showed my gut. 

I'm Turning Into a Walrus

When I saw the picture of the back I almost gasped. My posture is horrible, and I have lost almost all definition in my back. As a paperboy, I had strong legs and a strong back. As a grocery bagger, I had strong legs and a strong back. I was never "ripped" but I had a "V" and now my back looked like I was turning into a Walrus. 

That's all I needed. So today instead of coming home and getting on the computer I went to a local park (maybe 10 minutes away) and hiked in the woods (and got super close to a deer). 

I have always said "the heaviest I've ever been was 225, and now I was up to 227. If I want to BE something I have to DO something. 

Mentioned In This Show

131 Method Course

131 Book

Free Audio Book

SUPPORT THE SHOW BECOME A LOGICAL LOSER

Go to www.logicallosers.com and get the show ad-free and join our private facebook group.

I have a pretty bad fear of heights, and I have sun poisoning. However with a little planning, and some help from a friend I was able to go hiking in Utah. It was a lot of fun, and the scenery was beautiful.  

I had some great conversation with my guide Elikgiute from the Travel Gluten Free Podcast. I asked the question, 

"If someone was making a movie of your life, what would this time in your life be called? for me I had a childhood, Jr High was awful. Then I had the 20's and alcohol. I had the 30s being a musician, and being married. My forties were marriage #2. Now that I'm in my fifites I've had some great experiences, but when I looked around some of my actions seem to indicate that I may be roping myself off from life and support. 

If I don't clean my apartment than people can't come over. If people don't come over I'm more likely to feel alone. 

If I take on more and more projects, then I don't have time for family and any kind of support (or in my case exercise and eating right). 

So taking a step back and not looking at YOU as a person, but instead trying to take a logical look at your actions you might say "those are not the steps that will lead to me achieving my goal." 

So temporarily I'll be publishing every other week and taking some of those four hours and exercising. 

I took my car in for a quick brake job and instead of taking and Uber or Calling a Friend I walked back home, and later back to get my car. This was repeated twice resulting in me walking almost 19 thousand steps in one day. Why? Cause it was going to take 20 minutes for Uber to come get me (As I wasn't near a city).

Better Me App Uses Humiliation

The Better Me App is available on Apple and Android

BetterMe is an app for people who will try anything to better themselves. The app uses public humiliation to help keep your appointments, to achieve your goals, and to jump out of bed in the mornings. Features include an alarm clock, goal tracking, and GPS check-ins system to keep your recurring appointments. If you fail, each of these features will humiliate you by posting a message on your Facebook wall. GPS Check-ins: First input the address and time of your gym, class, or work schedule. Then the app will use GPS to check if you arrived at your destination on time. If not, then you will be shamed on Facebook! Goals: Goals are announced on Facebook. It asks your friends to hold you accountable. The app will later ask if you have achieved your goal and if not then you will be shamed on Facebook. Alarm: Snooze this alarm clock and receiving a shaming immediately. How Fast Do I Normal Walk

I installed the Walkmeter app to find out. This app is free, but they sure make the free version annoying. Lots of ads. I mean TONS. So I used it enough to figure out I walk about 3.1 miles an hour if I'm walking around the neighborhood. Why did I want to know this? Because (for me) that is the slowest I should walk on a treadmill. I now know that 4.0 miles an hour is a way to "Push" me a little. It is available on Apple or Android

Stretching 101

• Increased flexibility and joint range of motion
• Improved circulation
• Better posture
• Stress relief
• Enhanced coordination

How to Get Into Stretching?

Warm up first ( walking, pumping arm, low intensity)

Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds

Don't Bounce:

Focus on a Pain-Free Stretch (pain means you've gone too far)

Relax and breathe

Stretch both Sides

If you are working out, stretch before and after

Need examples?

Morning Stretches

Lower Back

BiOptimizers Probiotics Eat a Steak

I've talked about Probiotics in the past, and I hear about the P3-OM strand and how it really does what a Probiotic is supposed to do (help with digestion). They have supplements to protect yourself from Gluten, terminate Acid Reflux, eliminate Constipation, and get rid of Amino Acids (along with Probiotics) Check it out at www.logicalloss.com/bio

Mentioned In This Episode

Very Well Fit

Very Well Health

Things Can Only Get Better by Howard Jones

Brene Brown on Shame (Get Her Audio Book "Daring Greatly" For Free)

Become a Logical Loser

Get the show ad-free and join a safe and caring community

Go to www.logicallosers.com

The online HTML and CSS cleaner will take care of your dirty markup. They are free online tools.

• keep you moving toward your goal
• don't bite off too much and leave you're discouraged
• don't leave you bored to where you quit

My Goal This Month is 1 LB a Week

I started April at 223 lbs, and I want to be 219 at the end. As I write this on 4/18 I am .57 lbs behind my target weight. Like many goals, I came out of the gate and was ahead of schedule but then got lazy and now I'm struggling. The good news is by being able to see how I was ahead/behind it inspires me to stay on track. 

Now if for whatever reason, I can get achieve my goal of 1 lb a week, then maybe next month I will drop to .75lbs a week. Without making the goal so easy that you are bored, you want it to push you. For me, it is something I focus on from the moment I wake up. It requires my attention. For you, you may be able to lose 1 lb a week in your sleep. That's fine, and this is key. Find a goal that works for you. 

Try Not to Repeat Bad Behaviors

In the book Atomic Habits (finally finished the book) he mentions having goals and having daily strategies and he said something that is inspiring me. You're not going to be perfect, but when you see on one day you don't achieve a goal, do your best to avoid missing two days in a row. 

In the past I've mentioned I use an app called Way of Life and I also tried HabitShare (which is very similar but you can share your habits with an accountability partner) that I have specified meal goals and activity goals. I could see where my lunch meal was consistently going over calories. Without starving myself I reduced the portion size and now I'm back on goal.

I'm Testing The Streaks

I just heard about a new app that I have not tried called "Streaks" 

STREAKS. The to-do list that helps you form good habits. Apple Design Award winner. Track up to twelve tasks you want to complete each day. Your goal is to build a streak of consecutive days. * Streaks automatically knows when you complete tasks linked to the Health app * Streaks reminds you. It's $4.99 and only works on iOs/Apple (including the watch). If you are primarily using it to track exercise they have a specific app for that at https://streaksworkout.com/

Never Break The Chain

These streaks app can help you see just how good or bad you are doing (you do need the discipline to enter the data, but that's the good news you can track as little or as much info as you want. For me, when I have to put in that I didn't meet my daily calorie goals, the next day (trying to avoid having two in a row) I feel inspired. 

Do What Works For You

Find your sweet spot where you have challenging goals that keep you motivated, and most importantly you can sustain in the long run. You are not going to burn yourself out, and you're not going to bore yourself. There is only one person who knows you, your heart, and your dedication. If you start off with a goal that you can't reach, be sure to add the word yet to that statement. Lower the bar slightly and come up with a goal you can reach. Do that goal consistently, and then raise the bar. 

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It’s depressing how much he bounces back and forth with his weight and seems to constantly make excuses as to why he keeps gaining weight despite the podcast before he talks about making better decisions or something similar. The guy is very relatable and I enjoy listening but it seems like he doesn’t really want to lose weight. Also, it seems like he is just advertising atomic habits the last several episodes and not really giving any other kinds of advice.

So I read this and thought, "He's right." 

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”- Zig Ziglar

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”
― Stephen R. Covey

“It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.”
― Bruce Lee

Mentioned in This Episode

Way of Life app

Nutrition of a Thomas' Cinamon Raisin English Muffin

Logical Losers Support Group

This is dangerous and we need to be able to identify when it happens. 

This week I had a family member in from out of town which meant extra get-togethers that involved eating not so healthy food. I did "OK" on one, and not so good on the other. 

Other Things That Happened While I Was Gone 

While I might occasionally get a "cold" I got a fever and caught the "real life" flu (Type A) and it knocked me out. 

You Need Lose Weight For You

I had been using a female that I had a slight crush on as an inspiration to lose weight. In a nutshell, there just isn't any spark there on her part, and it's not going to happen. This somewhat ruined my attitude, but all in all, I'm back on the horse trying to lose weight. While it's great to have multiple levels of inspiration, in the end you need to lose weight FOR YOU. 

I was listening to a friend's podcasts called "You Wanna Do What?!" (www.youwannadowhat.com ) and she had a great segment I wanted to pass along (as well as add some thoughts I had).

There is some food in front of you. You want to eat it. You know it's not a good choice. However, you really would love to eat it. Monica brought up a great point. Talk to your future self. In the past, I've said I never felt bad getting off of a treadmill.  I have felt bad waking up the next day and stepping on a scale and realizing that food choice that I knew wasn't good has had a negative effect on my weight loss efforts.

So Monica says to talk to your future self. Think about how future self will be. Ask yourself do you really need the thing you are wanting to eat. Ask yourself "tomorrow will I be glad that I _____" and if you answer NO, then you'll be glad you stopped yourself from taking bad steps.

Make Your Goals Attractive

I'm still listening to Atomic Habits (get it free on Audible) and he previously talked about habit stacking where I have stacked lifting weights while I wait for the microwave to finish. In the last chapter, I read he talked about taking things you know you should do and tie them to something you WANT to do. I do this during football season. I can only watch football if I'm on my treadmill or my exercise bike. The idea is you start to look forward to the exercise you have tied to the activity you want to do. This requires discipline and integrity. In other words, don't lie to yourself. 

If you say, "I'll walk around the block before I watch my favorite TV show, and decide "I'll walk around the block AFTER the TV show, you have to discipline yourself. This sounds a bit like parents trying to get their kids to eat vegetables. "If you eat your green beans, you get an extra 15 minutes of video games..."

I love the idea of tieing actions to things you want to do, but don't fool yourself.

From the Audience:

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Full show notes at www.logicalloss.com/379

4 years ago, I weighed over 275 lbs. I was depressed and addicted to video games. I played more than 12 hours of games per day. Fortunately, I lost over 70 lbs and I've kept the weight off for 4 years.

More importantly, I transformed not only my physical health but my emotional and mental health too. I'm at that stage where I wanna share my experience with others who wanna make the same “health gains” that I did. So I invited Danyon Toniga on to the show to share his story. Some of the keys to his success:

Do what you love. If you make it a chore, you'll never do it.

Drink water before the meal and eat healthy first, then have a taste of the junk food

If you can't do a taste, then plan it ahead of time and work it into your schedule, but keep that calorie deficit.

Danyon uses the scale, but more importantly how he feels as a gauge of his success.

Mentioned in This Episode

Check out his YouTube Channel

His article with all of his tips is at http://www.healthvi.org/guides/fat-loss/

His email is danyon@healthvi.org

Join the Logical Losers

It's our awesome accountability club. Go to www.logicallosers.com

• Meditation (God time)
• Affirmations
• Exercise
• Water
• Sleep
• Food that helps me achieve my goals
• Taking my Advocare MNS 3 Suppliment

Yet, for some reason, I'm not doing all of these and the one that is mind boggling is taking a supplement. Really? how hard is swallowing a pill? The MNS 3 has a few pills you need to take at certain times, and yet at the end of the day, there is always one package I forgot to take with my lunch. 

I decided I would write down all of the things I wanted to accomplish each day into the Way of Life app. I was determined and decided I would start on Sunday.

Here it is Monday, and I didn't do it. I was so pissed. Do I need to make a checklist to remind me to use my checklist? UGH! So my initial reaction so that I could get a perfect week (my goal) was to try again next Sunday. Wait, what?

Yep instead of getting on track on Tuesday, in an effort to have a perfect week, I would wait until Sunday to try to get hyper-focused. 

I was being poisoned by the thought of perfection. I noticed how this idea made me waste sic days where I could work on improving my efforts. Why wait until Sunday when I can take another crack at this tomorrow? So I did, and I did.

Don't start “tomorrow” or “next week” or ” (insert day/event, etc) you can start improving you health right now

Advocare Spark Energy and Focus Drinks

I love Advocare Stick Packs. They are introducing a new flavor that is pineapple and coconut. I love it, and will be very sad when my free sample runs out. In the meantime, my favorite is Mango Strawberry. Add these to your water and you've got a unique blend of 20 vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that work synergistically to provide a healthy and balanced source of energy.* Spark contains an effective amount of caffeine to give you a quick boost, B vitamins to enhance your body's natural ability to produce and sustain its own energy, and neuroactive ingredients that enhance mental focus and alertness.

I became a distributor cause I love their chocolate protein shakes. When you are a distributor, you get deep discounts, and it pays for itself.

Follow Up On Last Weeks Interview With Karina Melvin

Last week I interviewe Karina Melvin and got lots of great feedback. She is from Ireland, and it turns out her books is not available in the US. I let Karina know we are trying to get her book, and she sent this link to a book distributor that should deliver to the US.

Atomic Habits

Thanks to Josh from www.onthebubblepodcast.comhttp://www.onthebubblepodcast.comand www.punchingsideways.com for recommending the book, “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.” You can get this as an audiobook for free by going to www.logicalloss.com/audible 

In the book, the author James Clear talks about how little things can add up to big results. Think of it like compound interest with money. This is what inspired me to create my checklist of atomic habits I want to create. I'm only through three chapters and so far I love it. 

One easy step you can do is to ask, “What would a healthy person do?” Then do that. Eventually, YOU will be a healthy person. The other thing that really struck me is when we start doing these small steps, in the long run, they can change how we feel about ourselves.

Today you will hear her say things that may make you go, “Wait, what?” but on the other hand if you've been doing the same things for year and all you have to show is a yo-yo weight loss plan, Karina explains how some of the very things I do (restricting my food choices, focusing on calories, and other things) may be the wrong strategies. 

With this in mind you might check out her book and if you are new to audible you can get her book for free when you sign up at www.logicalloss.com/audible

Check out her book, her courses, blog, podcast and more at www.karinamelvin.com

Thanks to all of our Logical Losers (our accountability and support group) at www.logicallosers.com

Today I share how I was doing everything I was supposed to do I:

Drink 60-80 oz of water
Get seven hours of sleep a night
Eat less than 2000 calories
Get 60 minutes of exercise or 10,000 steps
and yet the scale didn't move. In fact, in some days the scale went up. I was furious, and frustrate and I wanted to quit, but I didn't. I'm glad I didn't

Today I woke up and I hit my goal.

I focused on doing all the right things that lead to weight loss instead of the skill. On the Biggest Loser they had a saying, “Trust the process” and in this case I did

Inspirational Quote about Not Giving Up
“Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.” -James A. Michener
“Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” -Vince Lombardi
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” -Nelson Mandela
“How long should you try? Until.” -Jim Rohn
“There is no failure except in no longer trying.” -Elbert Hubbard
“You just can’t beat the person who won’t give up.” -Babe Ruth
“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.” -Winston Churchill
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” -Dale Carnegie
“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” -Harriet Beecher Stowe
“You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don’t give up.” -Chuck Yeager
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” -Thomas Edison
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ?Confucius
“If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.” -Jesse Jackson
“Survival can be summed up in three words- never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” -Bear Grylls
“Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” - Conrad Hilton

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Topics For the Future

Have you tried Theraworx Relief? I keep hearing about this product for sore muscles on other podcasts and was curious if you've tried it. If so leave a comment below

Start Your Own Weight Loss Competition

If you start going to start your own weight loss competition like the old “biggest loser” TV show, I've already done all the work for the calculations. Just put in your starting weight, and the weights as you weigh in, and the spreadsheet calculates your weight loss. Check it out.

Then you hire a new person. They are also similar to your age. Then you notice some characteristics:

• They seem to do things with little thoughts about long-term effects as you "only live once."
• They seem to talk negatively about many of the things you do
• They seem unfocused on your companies goals and are a bit self-centered.
• You try to ignore them, but every time you turn around they seem to be there.
• They seem to lie to you all the time

Would you want to hang out with this person? How frustrating would this person be?

How To Turn the Tides on Your Negative Inner Talk

1. Notice it
2. Notice what you're doing when you hear it
3. Talkback and tell them to go away

No matter what the inner critic has told you, you do have positive traits, although it may take you some time and discipline to retrain yourself to see them.

We all have an automatic selective filtering system that (our brain) will look for evidence in our environment that matches up with whatever we believe to be true about ourselves. We will then disregard other evidence to the contrary.

How We Feel About Ourselves Matters

Events + Thoughts = Emotions

If our thoughts determine how we feel, that means how we habitually think will determine how we habitually feel. (source)

Give Your Negative Talker a Name

I have a friend of mine who refers to his negative talker as "Grizz" as it's like a bear that roars at him to go eat bad things.

I think I'm going to name mine "Charlie." I'm not sure why, but I can hear me telling Charlie to piss off, so I'm going with Charlie.

Think about what kind of clothes this person would wear. Visualize this person.

Now That It's Easier to See The Negative You Pay Attention to Your Environment

The other night I found myself at an ice cream parlor. I thought to myself, why am I here? My inner voice told me one cone wouldn't hurt (lies).

What had happened? I had been asked by my ex-wife to attend a Christmas party with her. Not as a date (They actual date had something come up and she didn't want to go stag).

I wanted to help, and I'm not worried about us on a romantic level, but there was something in my gut that said this was not the best idea on the planet.

The next thing I know, I'm at the ice cream parlor.

Seeing Is Believing

I have a wi-fi- Digital Scale which automatically enters my weight into My FitnessPal. Consequently, I don't really look at it much. My scale shows if I went up or down from the last time I weighed myself (which is typically daily).

As the year is coming to an end, I downloaded all of my stats from Myfitnesspal and looked at the lowest and highest weight of the past years

My goal for years has been 185 lbs.  May sites say 190 is the top of the range, and so I wanted to go to 185

Then I say that in 2016 I was five pounds from hitting my goal. After each year getting closer (with 2013, 2014, and 2105 each getting closer). I also see them when I get close to 220, or 225, I ge mad and get dedicated and focused.

You Don't Need to Wait Two Weeks To "Start Over"

Here is what I've done

I'm using habitshare (I talked about this on a previous episode) to focus on the things I need to do (getting sleep, hitting calories goals, activity goals, etc)

I joined a Stepbet this helps me focus on being active

I bought a new treadmill (more on that later)

I'm going to enter my weight into a spreadsheet that shows what my goal weight should be. (All Logical Losers can get a copy of this spreadsheet)

My New Treadmill

I've said the best exercise is the one you do. I tried a manual treadmill, but in a nutshell, I just liked a motorized treadmill better. I didn't really bother me until it started snowing. My activity went down to nothing, and the weight started to come back up. It wasn't cheap, but I know it would get used. I pulled out a credit card (not my favorite way to pay for things) and but the bullet.

I bought a Horizon Fitness T101-05 Folding Treadmill that was on sale.

Here is what I like:

Built in blue tooth speakers

built-in racks for tablets

Featherlight folding

Super quiet

Goes up to 10 MPH and it also inclines

Here is what I think needs improved:

There are 40 different variations of programs that you can run, but the documentation on how to use them is poor.

The built-in fan is an absolute waste of time

Things to Know:

It's heavy. While you can fold it up and drag it around, it's very heavy so pick where you want it, and put it down.

From what I read, the Johnson company builds this brand all the parts for the unit, and they are well made and have won awards.

Conclusion

I've had it a week, and love it.

https://youtu.be/CqDf2M6gq7c

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

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For me, the holidays are over (due to my brother going out of town for the holidays. This means yesterday I had the ham, the green beans, and yes, there were cookies. 

With no surprise, when I stepped on the scale it went the wrong way. So I did a deep dive into my data in myfitnesspal.com (I've used Loseit! in the past and many others, they all do the same thing, I liked myfitnesspal, but use whatever works for you). In looking at the data I could CLEARLY see that when:

• I eat 2100 calories (or less) in a day
• Exercises (in any fashion) for an hour
• Drink between 64-80 oz of water
• Get seven hours of sleep

I lose weight. It is that simple. It's just not that easy.

So How to Restart?

Let's look at walking. You used to walk, and then you stopped. How would you start again? By taking that first step. 

So for me, that means starting the day on my exercise bike, drinking 20 oz of water, getting in the shower and feeling like I was headed in the right direction. 

Other things I might do in the future is listening to affirmations, and use something like the 5-minute journal,  or some sort of gratitude practice (I also talk to God on a regular basis, but you do what do you). 

You don't have to have letters in the sky, a band playing, a drum roll, you just start. You decide that you're not giving up. 

It May Not Be Pretty or Prefect

When you restart, it may not be pretty or perfect, but it doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be (in any form). You can do this. 

Join the Logical Losers Support Group

See www.logicallosers.com (For as little as $1 month)

1. Congratulations You're An American

We plan for Thanksgiving for about two weeks. People spend a lot of money on travel. It's a big deal. There are family traditions involved. For me, my family tried something new this year and we had Crackle Barrel cook our food and just picked it up, took it home and are it. It was delicious. No long lines shopping, the food was great. No cleanup. We also bought some pies from a local orchard and the apple pie was from heaven. My brother made some sort of no sugar pumpkin pie that was good as well (with Cool whip which we've stated before is not really food. We're not sure what it is, but healthy it is not). 

2. That Was Yesterday This is Today

When I woke on Friday, I wasn't stressed. I knew the scale was going to go the wrong way. I also knew with a bit of discipline, and determination, the weight I put on was not going to stay long. In general, I ended up eating two large meals on Thanksgiving by the time you track all the leftovers. I got back on the horse, and decided to go back to my intermittent fasting (currently going 16 hours from dinner to breakfast) and had a light breakfast. I made sure to drink plenty of water thanks to my Ulla Hydration Reminder, and as it is now cold outside I got on my exercise bike in my apartment. 

As for leftovers? Portion control. Don't cheat and walk around in sweatpants as you might have the day off. This is the day you get back on track. Don't over think it. Just do the stuff you know you should be doing. 

3. Don't Be Surprised

In the same way, I was not surprised my weight went up when I had over 2000 calories (even skipping breakfast), I was not surprised when the scale went back down. Doing the wrong things makes our weight go up. Doing the right things makes it go down. 

4. Only You Control Your Attitude

When you see that number reach for the sky on Friday, don't freak out. We knew this was coming. Maybe it went up a bit more than we thought, but if you really think about all the food you put into your mouth. Are you really surprised? You've lost weight in the past. It is time to get focused and do the right thing. Stop with the guilt

5. Avoid Making it Hard For Your Willpower

There are some traditions that don't need to be honored. One of the hardest things to avoid during the holidays is cookies. Here is how. 

Don't make them. Don't buy the ingredients. Don't buy the premade ones. Don't let the enemy into your house. TRUST ME, someone will give you a cookie. They will be at the breakroom at work, at a party you attend. I would be very surprised if you made it to Christmas without having a cookie. By keeping them out of your house, you avoid the whole, "One leads to two leads to oh my God did I eat all the cookies?!" scenarios. 

6. Start a New Tradition

We all want to go back to those days when we were kids. We want our kids to have those same experiences. Do we? Do want our kids to go through the same things we are going through today? Because when you feed the same mountains of sugar over the holidays, you are putting them on the path to follow in your footsteps. 

I Love My New Quip Toothbrush

My old electric toothbrush broke right when I heard about quip. It is half the price of my old Braun and my teeth feel brand new when I'm done. It a sonic toothbrush which means you don't have to scrub your teeth, and it doesn't feel like you are taking a jackhammer to your teeth. They send you refills, and everyone is packaged nicely and it's super easy to add your new head. It's all taken care of for you. Check it out at www.logicalloss.com/quip 

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Do you receive value from this show? Help keep it on the air by becoming a Logical Loser and join our private community (you can join for as little as $1/month)

See ww.logicallosers.com 

The battery is supposed to last 7 days (we'll see)

Fitbit Charge 3 helps you find moments of calm throughout your day with personalized guided breathing sessions based on your heart rate.

For more information see www.logicalloss.com/fitbit

Get Paid To Do Healthy Things on the Achievement App

A listener turn me on to the Achievement App

Back from another time of traveling. I've been playing with a few toys. http://logicalloss.com/achievement is an app that pays you for (more or less) letting them stalk you. You can connect your fitbit, myfitnesspal, etc.

One of the apps you can connect is interesting "breathe" see https://www.stopbreathethink.com/ (both Apple and Android) I might use this in the future for those time when I'm stress eating

Fitbit Charge 3 helps you find moments of calm throughout your day with personalized guided breathing sessions based on your heart rate.

About Achievement App

Achievement is a free service used by over 1.5 million members. You’ll be able to see all your health apps in one place and earn points for activities you already do! We’ve awarded over 100 million activities to date.

So far they’ve paid out over $500,000 to our members and there is no limit to how much you can earn.

Earn $10 for every 10,000 points. Rewards are paid out within 3-7 business days, and Achievers can redeem cash directly into their PayPal account or bank account of choice.

Their mission is to provide a positive, insightful, and rewarding experience that supports everyone in achieving their personal health goals.

I like that they are SUPER transparent. They let you know that some of the polls, articles, etc that you are reading and participating in, is used for research. You are 100% in control of how much is shared with their team

You can even donate the money you earn to charity (so you get healthy while helping someone in need)

Support the Podcast

If you'd like to donate to the show see www.logicallloss.com/support

If you'd like to join our private Facebook community go to www.logicallosers.com (join for as little as $1)

It costs about $50 a month to produce the show.

Your Weight Loss Strategy Ranked By Willpower

I read an article on MyFitnesspal and saw this article.

We've spoken about Willpower in the past and how you can run out it if you try to rely on it oo heavily.

See episodes Willpower and consistency and Operating Fear or Love

Write a list of ALL the things you can do to lose weight (both on the food side and the activity side)

Then next to each item, write down how much willpower will be needed to do this item.

Choose one item for food, and another item for activity that will "cost" the least amount of Willpower.

As you need action and willpower, choosing items that require less willpower will enable you to take consistent steps, which will boost your confidence.

The boost in confidence will boost your willpower.

We are kicking off the holidays by "doubling down" on losing weight as we enter the "holidays" see http://www.logicalloss.com/dietbet and have a chance to earn money losing weight

So Many Diets...

I had found a few articles that had titles like "10 Things You Need to Know about the ______ Diet." So I read a ton of these and here is what I found.

The Vegan Diet

A vegan diet can be healthy and may help lower cholesterol, aid in weight loss and reduce the risk of some diseases. But this is only “as long as you can commit to learning about how to meet your nutrient needs, plan ahead to ensure that you are meeting them and make whole foods your focus

It doesn't' necessarily mean its healthy

It's not a magic pill (you still need to your portions)

You need to see out protein

You're more than likely to fart

The Whole 30 Diet

Eat moderate portions of meat, seafood, and eggs; lots of vegetables; some fruit; plenty of natural fats; and herbs, spices, and seasonings. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re whole and unprocessed. It means NO sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites, baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients. 

Although there’s a lot of social media backing for this diet, there’s not a lot of support from experts.

You'll need to plan your meals ahead of time

Hard to stay consistent

You're likely to end right where you started

You might lack essential nutrients

It's hard to eat out with friends

Mediterranean Diet

Continually near the top of the U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best Diets lists, the Mediterranean diet is known for its heart health benefits and focus on fish, olive oil and red wine. It emphasizes whole foods, is vegetable-centric, replaces saturated fats with omega-3 rich heart-healthy fats, stresses the importance of seafood and whole grains and encourages more cooking and activity in the kitchen (you don't need to drink wine)

It is more of a lifestyle than a diet, and with that probably more sustainable.

As it doesn't focus on calories, you may not lose weight.

You netter like Seafood

You're allowed to eat pasta

Paleo Diet

In its purest form, the paleo diet allows you to eat only those foods that humans ate when they first roamed the planet millions of years ago. This means no grains, legumes, dairy or sugar and lots of meat, coconut, vegetables and fruit. There are benefits to eating a Paleo diet, such as consuming whole, unprocessed foods and lots of produce and being aware of the importance of high-quality meats.

a 2016 review of controlled clinical trials comparing the diet to others, the strongest of the studies found no long-term differences between people following a Paleo diet and those on a control diet after two years.

You will need to do some meal planning

While many people think this is all about meat, it's also all about veggies.

Buy good meat.

Stay away from, sugar, soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, margarine and trans fats."

Their claims of about grains are false

Watch your calcium

Not accepted by some people

Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that forces the body into a state of ketosis, where fat is burned for fuel instead of carbohydrate. The ketogenic diet is very restrictive and takes a lot of commitment to get the nutrients you need for overall health.

The diet recommends a 4:1 ratio of fat to carbs

The diet recommends protein be around 20%

“Supplementation with vitamins and minerals is an absolute necessity on this type of diet

When you follow the almost no carb rule you may experience, "Constipation, bad breath and dizziness are just a few of the side effects of going so low-carb. "

Your gut may suffer

Lack of energy sometimes known as the Keto Flu

It may be hard to eat out with friends

You'll need to plan ahead

DASH Diet

The healthy DASH diet plan was developed to lower blood pressure without medication in research sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The internet was not to lose weight. The DASH diet is consistently ranked the best diet for a reason. “It’s balanced, realistic and flexible. It’s an eating plan that includes common, everyday foods that offer a multitude of benefits for all age groups.

The DASH diet recommends plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
DASH is an acronym. It stands for:

Dietary

Approaches

to

Stop

Hypertension

The DASH recommends:

Eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
Including fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils
Limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils
Limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets.

The diet is light on lean meat, poultry and seafood, allowing for 6 ounces total per day, Ward notes. You can still eat eggs.

You will have to cook ahead

Farts may likely happen

For more information see https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/dash-eating-plan

So What Did We Learn?

No diet recommends sugar

Most diets recommend planning and cooking ahead.

Portion control always come into play

Healthy food makes you fart in some cases

You need to come up with a plan that you can incorporate it into your Lifestyle. If you can't do it in the long haul, then you won't lose weight in the long haul.

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My New Toy

I stopped by Walmart and just happened to see this device that cuts veggies up into slices and what appears to be spaghetti, as well as chips. I love squash but hadn't had any in years until I happen to have dinner at my brother's house. When I told one of my friends I bought one, they said, "You've got to work with some sweet potatoes and mix in some cinnamon.

The one I bought a Walmart is all plastic, and if it snapped and broke I wouldn't be surprised. The other thing that I found disappointing was they didn't mark what blads did what. Luckily I caught this before I throughout the box, and grabbed a sharpy marker and fixed the issues. I have seen some units on Amazon that seem to come with the blads that are pre-labeled.

It does take up some storage place, but I sliced up some squash, through some olive oil in a pan, lightly salted the squash, and it was done quickly. The clean up was super slick, and you can now call me a fan. Best of all, being a guitar player, I'm kind of happy my finders are nowhere near the blade. If you're looking for a quick easy way to get some veggies in your life, you might want to pick one up.

Join the DietBet and Hurdle the Holidays

Put in $20, and if you lose 4% of your weight when it starts (October 31, 2018) you get to share the pot with everyone who achieved their 4% goal (it's not as easy at sounds).

For more information go to wwww.logicalloss.com/dietbet

It Only Takes 21 Days to Create a Habit???

If you've ever heard that it only takes 21 days to develop a habit, it turns out that has been exaggerated, and misinterpreted by the Internet over the years (and if you repeat something over and lover long enough, people think it's true

Now, however, there is some psychological research on this question in a paper recently published in the European Journal of Social Psychology. Phillippa Lally and colleagues from University College London recruited 96 people who were interested in forming a new habit such as eating a piece of fruit with lunch or doing a 15 minute run each day Lally et al. (2009). Participants were then asked daily how automatic their chosen behaviors felt. These questions included things like whether the behavior was ‘hard not to do’ and could be done ‘without thinking’.

Although the average was 66 days, there was marked variation in how long habits took to form, anywhere from 18 days up to 254 days in the habits examined in this study. As you’d imagine, drinking a daily glass of water became automatic very quickly but doing 50 sit-ups before breakfast required more dedication (above, dotted lines).

Missing a single day did not reduce the chance of forming a habit.
A sub-group took much longer than the others to form their habits, perhaps suggesting some people are ‘habit-resistant’.
Other types of habits may well take much longer.
No small change

What this study reveals is that when we want to develop a relatively simple habit like eating a piece of fruit each day or taking a 10-minute walk, it could take us over two months of daily repetitions before the behavior becomes a habit. And, while this research suggests that skipping single days isn’t detrimental in the long-term, it’s those early repetitions that give us the greatest boost in automaticity.

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I just got my Ulla Smart Hydration Reminder. I've tried other smart bottles, and they had fun apps, etc. but I like MY bottle, and there was some setup involved, and it wasn't always accurate. I can track how much I drink in MyFitnessPal (or many other apps) but I often sit at my desk in the morning and 10:30 rolls around and I haven't taken a sip. That is where the Ulla Smart Hydration Reminder comes into play. It's a very small device that has a motion detector and knows when you're around. Then when time rolls by (typically 30-40 minutes)  it blinks to remind you to drink. The blinking pattern was developed in a way that it stimulates peripheral sight. In other words, you'll notice the alert even out of the corner of your eye.  It comes with a band that allows you to attach it to any bottle.

When it arrives, you simply pull a piece of plastic off to allow the battery to get plugged in, and grab the band and attach it to your bottle. I've been using it today and every now and then it starts blinking. I take a drink and it stops. Right now it's on sale for $19.60+ shipping. Originally it was supposed to take two weeks to get here (it is coming from overseas) but it got here in about a week.

You don't have to worry about turning it on or off. Ulla is fully automatic, there aren’t any buttons to push - it powers on and turns off automatically. Ulla senses your presence and ambient light. As a result, it goes to sleep when the lights go out or when you miss two hydration cycles.

It does not make any sound so it doesn't annoy your co-workers.

If you're looking to ramp up your water intake, this is a super easy mild reminder to keep hydrated.

Apple Cider Vinegar

A blog post on MyFitnessPal shows how this may not be as cool. For example, ACV (cause we're too lazy to say Apple Cider Vinegar) may decrease appetite. OF COURSE IT DOES (it tastes awful). 

See the full post at https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/can-apple-cider-vinegar-fix-all-my-problems/

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Intermittent Fasting sounds too good to be true. It's not about WHAT you eat, but WHEN you eat it. Sound great right? Not so fast this doesn't mean the floodgates are open to eating whatever you want (pizza, ice cream, soda, etc)

When you are in the fed state, it's very hard for your body to burn fat because your insulin levels are high. It is much easier for you body to burn fat in the fasted state (8 - 12 hours)  because your insulin levels are low. Fasting puts your body in a fat burning state that you rarely make it to during a normal eating schedule.

Our bodies run on glucose, or simple sugar, but when we fast for a longer period of time, that energy source becomes unavailable. The body begins to convert certain types of body fat into fatty acids, which are easily absorbed by the blood. Most of the studies reviewed by Anton and team revealed that, while participants did lose body fat, no significant amount of lean tissue — which includes organ tissue, muscular tissue, and bone tissue — was lost. (source)

Many Different Intermittent Fasting Styles or Programs

These are the some of the popular methods:

The 16/8 method:

Also called the Leangains protocol, it involves skipping breakfast and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours. So if you breakfast and eat lunch at Noon, you can eat from noon to 8 PM. Then you fast for 16 hours in between. This means you could eat again at Noon the next day (16 hours from 8 pm)

Eat-Stop-Eat:

This involves fasting for 24 hours, You would do this once or twice a week, for example by not eating from dinner one day until dinner the next day.

The 5:2 diet:

With this methods, you consume only 500–600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week but eat normally the other 5 days.
Obviously, with the reduced calories, this should lead to weight loss assuming you don't binge eat on the five days and eat healthily.

Many people find the 16/8 method to be the simplest, most sustainable and easiest to stick to. It’s also the most popular.

Why in The World Would I Starve Myself?

When you fast, human growth hormone levels go up and insulin levels go down. Your body’s cells also change the expression of genes and initiate important cellular repair processes.

Short-term fasting may increase your metabolic rate by 3.6–14%. Source

Intermittent fasting can have many benefits for your body and brain. It can cause weight loss and may reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It may also help you live longer.

Side Effects

I was shocked to hear that the main side effect of Intermittent Fasting is, (get this ) HUNGER. Who knew? Here are some other things to keep in mind

You may also feel weak and your brain may not perform as well as you're used to.

This may only be temporary, as it can take some time for your body to adapt to the new meal schedule.

If you have a medical condition, you should consult with your doctor before trying intermittent fasting.

This is particularly important if you:

Have diabetes.
Have problems with blood sugar regulation.
Have low blood pressure.
Take medications.
Are underweight.
Have a history of eating disorders.
Are a woman who is trying to conceive.
Are a woman with a history of amenorrhea.
Are pregnant or breastfeeding.
All that being said, intermittent fasting has an outstanding safety profile. There is nothing dangerous about not eating for a while if you’re healthy and well-nourished overall.

As with all changes in diet or exercise - consult with your doctor to see if this is right for you.

Can I Eat ANYTHING? During The Fast?

From what I've read, no. You can have water, coffee, tea and other non-caloric beverages are fine. Do not add sugar to your coffee. Small amounts of milk or cream may be okay.

I Thought Breakfast Was the Most Important Meal of the Day?

Some people are now saying that people who eat a breakfast, actually eat a healthier meal (not fruit loops, and coco puffs). So skipping the bowl of sugar drenched in milk, isn't that bad.

When deprived of glucose for 12 hours or more, our bodies, and cells start burning fats for fuel, in a process called ketosis. In metabolizing fats, ketosis produces ketone bodies that serve as fuel for our brain (our brain gets priority when our bodies think we are starving) and healthy cells in our bodies. But senescent cells, and cancer cells are rather bad at being able to make the switch from using sugars to using fats as fuel. These cells have lost their metabolism flexibility, and we can use that to our advantage.

What About Starvation Mode?

If you have fat stored up, it never gets burned because we keep eating When we quit eating, we start burning fat. Breakdown of muscle tissue happens at extremely low levels of body fat – approximately 4%. This is not something most people need to worry about (source)

I played with some Intermittent Fasting Apps

Life

From their website:

The LIFE Intermittent Fasting app by LifeOmic makes it easy and fun to harness lifestyle changes to improve metabolic health. Overnight fasting for just 12 hours or more may result in improved metabolic flexibility, reduced inflammation and lower risk of diseases of aging. Track your progress on any fasting schedule with LIFE, see when you start burning fats for fuel, and intuitively log how you are feeling. Share your fasts and give and receive encouragement within custom circles of other LIFErs you care about, from friends to coworkers to healthcare providers.

With the LIFE Fasting Tracker app you can:

– Supports all types of fasting, including all intermittent fasting methods.
– Start and stop fasts with a single button.
– Easily change your target fasting time.
– See when you enter ketosis.
– Create and join groups of other fasters.
– Post your mood and help people with their intermittent fasting goals.
The LIFE Fasting Tracker app is available for FREE on the Apple App Store. (no Andorid Option)

More information at https://medium.com/lifeomic/life-intermittent-fasting-app-ab9382de0c5f

Zero

From the Zero website

When you dig through the data, it starts to get pretty exciting. It decreases breast cancer risk and recurrence by as much as 36%, improves sleep, has positive effects on markers of systemic inflammation, and regulates blood glucose levels and other aging biomarkers. Furthermore, Dr. Longo’s clinical trials have demonstrated efficacy for type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and cancer patients.

All the benefits mentioned above (and more) are covered in a wonderful video series by Dr. Rhonda Patrick, where she interviews scientists Dr. Valter Longo, Dr. Satchin Panda, and Dr. Ruth Patterson. I highly recommend that you watch all three of these videos if you’re new to fasting.

Zero https://medium.com/@kevinrose/introducing-zero-a-new-app-to-help-you-fast-209935e8245d

TIMER

This is not an app. When I say "Timer" I mean go to your app, set an alarm for 16 hours from now and click start. Want to see how much longer you have? Look at your phone. Now, this does not have the cooler trophies and history logs, but if you're looking for simple, here it is. When the alarm goes off, eat. At night when you are done with your last meal, set the timer again

Join the Logical Weight Loss Support Group

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and check out Advocare products for your weight loss support.

1. Some books are nothing but studies. They are interesting, but not entertaining.
2. Some books are just "inspirational stories" but they lack the facts and "why" things are working.

I like this book as you learn:

1. Some studies
2. Some fun stories
3. Jon watches way too much TV and movies. 

But he did break down some things that seemed to obvious and yet we miss it. 

You Start Your Work on a Goal, and You're Not Meeting it. 

Here are your options:

1. Cut the goal in half. Instead of losing 2 lbs a week, lose 1 lbs
2. Change the time. Instead of trying to lose 2 lbs in a week, why not two lbs in a month?
3. Change your actions. 

First of all, some people are going to freak out with this idea. YOU NEED TO REACH and STRETCH.

YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

While that is true, you also need to finish your goal. Setting yourself up to fail does not help much. The goal is to finish the goal and set a new one. 

Example 1:

You have a wedding coming up. You need to fit in the dress. You can't change the goal (fit in the dress). You can't change the time (can't postpone the wedding so you can fit in the dress). You need to look at your actions and change them. 

Example 2:

You want to lose 20 lbs by losing 2 lbs a week. You are struggling. So you change the goal to 1 lb a week. Now you hit the goal, feel motivated and keep going. Yes, the time will take longer but you are inspired to keep going. In the end, you reach the goal. 

Think of it like a degree. When you are job hunting, nobody asks you how long it took you to get the degree, they just need to know if you finished. 

Tracking Your Changes Allows You To Figure Out What Works

When I

• Drink about 80 ox of water
• Get 7 hours of sleep a night
• Eat right
• Get 10,000 steps

I lose weight. I was motivated as I had a big event coming up. I dropped 10 lbs When I got home, I started slacking. 

When I got up to 219, I got mad (as it doesn't take long to gain it back). So what did I do? I looked at what was working and started doing that again.

Why don't I just do that all the time? That's a mystery I have not figured out yet. 

Jon talks about the fear of what is next in his book. Some people don't finish because then they have to figure out what to do next. 

You can get the book for free (the audio version of the book is read by the author).

Check it out at www.logicalloss.com/freebook

Thanks to Everyone Supporting the Show 

See https://www.patreon.com/logicalweightloss

Karen Loss Weight Cutting out Sugar and Processed Food

Karen's story comes from SparkPeople. 

She got both of her legs broken in an accident. She was at one point around 300 lbs

She lost weight by celebrating the small victories.

She cut out processed foods, and sugar, and started journaling.

She took years, but through dedication, she is losing the weight. 

New Way Of Listening to the Show

The show is not listed on the Radio Public app. If you need an app to organize your podcasts, you can check it how here. 

Thanks to all of the Logical Losers (Patrons)

Find out What Works

On June 15 I had a really good day (1500 calories, and a calorie deficit of 700 for the day). The next day I hit my regular calorie goal of 1800, and had a calorie deficit of 732. I was on a roll. Why I didn't keep doing that I don't know. I had found a workaround and at night I try to not eat after dinner so that when I get to breakfast I am actually breaking my fast. But at night I needed something with taste (instead of water). I started drinking Spark from Advocare (45 calories) I love the Mango Strawberry. This held me over, and I was losing weight. 

If It Aint Broke Don't Fix It

So instead of keeping with what was working, I looked at the calorie deficit (meaning I had burned more calories than I had eaten) and saw where I had a "surplus." I thought instead of drinking another glass of Advocare Spark, why not have one of their Delicious chocolate shakes? After all, it was 210-220 calories with 24 grams of easy-to-digest protein, what's not to love? I had "room" due to my heavy deficit (or so I thought). 

Remember You Help Create Your Environment

Looking back, I think I was getting cocky. I started staying up later. I wasn't quite as dedicated to drinking water. Before I knew it after getting to 216, I shot back up close to 218? What it the shakes? No, it was the calories. There is a difference between 45 calories in Spark,

What 300 Calories a Day Looks Like?

When you add the 200 calories in the Delicious Shake PLUS the 90 calories for the Coconut milk. Does (for easy math) 300 calories make a difference?  300 Calories a day is 2100 calories a week and 8400 calories a month or 2.4lbs. 

You Have the Power To Make Your Next Choice the Right One

I REALLY wanted a burger today (from the McDevil). Lately, I'm trying to avoid looking at the big picture (cause that will suck the life right out of you), and so as I sat in the driveway of my church, if I turned left, I'd be going to McHell. If I turned right, I'd be headed home to grill some chicken.

All I had to do was turn right.

I asked myself, "You can turn right can't you?" Yes, I can turn right I told myself, and I did. The chicken never tasted so good. I'm also gonna play a bit more with Advocare. I'm drinking a lemonade that has mineral and herbs, AND it's an appetite suppressant (and above all its yummy)

Why Was This Good?

This little experiment lets me know what works, and what doesn't. All I have to do is what works on a consistent basis, and I will hit my goal.

Links Mentioned

Advocare www.logicalloss.com/advocare

Advocare Meal Replacements (https://www.advocare.com/18013080/store/product/t1290-meal-replacement-shake)

Show Supporters (Patrons) www.logicallosers.com

Motivation Does Not Come Before Action

So many times we think we need the motivation to take action. Jeff points out that it is the other way around. When we take action, and we do the right things, and we see the results, THAT motivates us to keep Going. 

You Don't Need A Dump Truck Full of Motivation

When you think, "I need enough motivation to loss 100 lbs." That is not true. The only motivation you need is enough motivation to make your next meal a healthy one. You need enough motivation to make the next day a day filled with good choices. When you TAKE THESE ACTIONS, the results is motivation. You feel like you accomplished something. People who achieve hard goals over a long period of time did not work on ONE goal, they worked on tiny little goals that upon completion motivated them to NOT QUIT.

I Really Like This Book So Far

I'm only through the first chapter, but I'm really enjoying the book so far. 

Keep The Podcast Alive

Last week I mentioned how I'm no longer an affiliate for Amazon. With this in mind, you can REALLY help the show by becoming a Patron (for as a dollar a month). If you enjoy the show, please support it (or consider a one-time donation ) 

Over the memorial day weekend I dusted off my favorite to do list tool todoist.com and it was a mess. I cleared out all the old stuff, and I got focused. So I had to decide what would be my number one focus. I had a few. I'm working on a new version of a book I originally wrote in 2012 call More Podcast Money. I might do a revamp of the School of Podcasting's website (even though I did one five months ago, but there is a new bright and shiny tool for websites ---oooohhh. I am working on turning a diary form 1995 into a podcast called the History of the Band Six Shooter. Then I noticed something.

None of my priorities included the phrase "Lose weight," or "Eat less, exercise more." THAT is what I was not losing weight. It wasn't a priority. That was on Monday. On Tuesday the 29th, I got a call from a friend of mine letting me know that a group of my peers has chosen me to be inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of fame. The ceremony is in two months. The minute I got off the phone I said to myself. YOU WILL GET UP AND GO TO THE GYM. The interesting thing was, this was not a question, this was not a possibility, this was a fact.

Sure enough, Wednesday rolled around and at 6:45 AM I was in my shorts on the way to the gym. I was doing High-Intensity Interval Training on a treadmill sweating my butt off.

So what changed?

My Why.

Look, I know that if I don't exercise and eat bad food I will gain weight. I increase my chances of cancer, stroke, diabetes, and include any other horrible diseases you want here. For some reason, those don't motivate me. Don't get me wrong. They SHOULD, but if I'm gonna be honest they don't. Maybe I'm a fool and think that I'll be lucky and dodge those bullets. This like ignoring that you are putting water in a bucket and eventually it's going to get full. You see eventually it will get full.

So for now, my appetite is gone, my motivation is off the charts and I'm hyper-focused. The ceremony is July 24th. What happens after July 24th? Well, hmmmm. My goal is I will develop healthy habits and just keep on doing what I'm doing. There is that negative voice in my head that says, "Sure, go ahead and do your little exercise stuff, do your healthy eating, whatever, I'll be back." For now, I'm going to ignore that voice and politely go tell him to piss off. That voice is always there, always will be there, and the more I learn to ignore it the better I will be.

So if you're why isn't inspiring you to do the right things that lead to weight loss, find a new why. I'm here to tell you the right "why" can make a world of difference.

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So yesterday I went for a bike ride. Where I live I might as well be at the bottom of a coffee cup. It's fun coming home, but starting out is uphill in all directions. So I started out and I rode my bike all the way to the top. I was impressed. This was my first time out this Summer with my bike, and I did it. I was tired, sweaty, and out of breath, but I did it.

I ended up riding 10 miles that day.

The next day I woke up and my knees hurt, etc. My body letting me know it appreciated the extra effort. I decided to take the bike out again. Here in Ohio, you take advantage of any day that feels like Spring or Summer where it's not 200% humidity. So I decided to do five miles. Here again, not matter what direction I go, I'm going uphill. My body told me it wasn't going to be able to go up the hill again. I started anyway and figured if I needed to I would walk it part of the way.

Sure enough about halfway up, I was ready to quit. Instead of looking at the hill in front of me, I look at the tire and the road to make sure I wasn't hitting any holes in the road, etc. I just look straight ahead and peddled. It was hard. My Fitbit about exploded due to my increased heart rate, but eventually, I made it to the top and about collapsed.

It turns out I was stronger than I thought. I am using this to remind myself that I can do this. Losing weight is going to be hard, but I can do this.

LIES LIES AND LIES

We hear alot of people in politics talk about fake news, and alternative truths. I was leading a group at my church talking about the truths in the bible. This isn't going to be preachy so don't run away. This applies in non-church related items as well. What is it?

Most if not all of the things that went wrong in your life we based on a lie.

Fat is bad for you

Don't change anything about the way you eat and lose weight

Lose weight without exercise

One won't hurt.

I'll start tomorrow

We know these are lies and yet we still listen to them. We know to stand up to them, and start doing the right things, eating the right way, even if we don't want to sometimes.

We believe the lies often because it leads to an easier path.

I watched a documentary on Amazon called Recommended Daily Amount and in the movie a person who had migraine headaches for 15 years, quit taking his medicine and for the most post "Cured" himself of migraines by cutting out soda (and caffeine) and sugar. He purposely didn't exercise as he just wanted to focus on the diet. Many parts of his body composition improved.

He went through a major "Caffeine Headache" but ended up feeling so much better once he weathered the storm.

Back To Basics

I had a fluctuation with my weight a few weeks ago when I went out of town. It was somewhat depressing, but when I got home I just had to look at what has worked for me.

Getting 7 hours of sleep a night

Getting as close to 1900 calories a day (which means giving up mid-day snacks)

Drinking 80 ounces of Water

Getting 10,000 steps

When I do this I love weight. This is my truth for now.

So I started focusing on it, and low and behold the weight is coming back off. 

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I went the movies last weekend to see Ready Player One. While I'm not a gamer, I am a child of the 80's and the movie was good. What wasn't good is my friend buying popcorn. I'm supposed to be avoiding corn at all costs. My two biggest weakness when it comes to food? Popcorn, Ice cream, and if I had to pick a third, Pizza. I told myself going in, I was going to be OK. I ate a protein bar before I went to the movies. While I didn't eat half a bucket like I did previously, I did have a handful or three. While you can say, "Well you should've hunkered down,"  or "You're selling yourself too short," or "What are you supposed to live a life of a monk?" in the end I put myself in an environment that currently is not healthy for me.

There is something to be said about your environment and Hardy points out that it is the environment that often shapes the person, not the person shaping the environment. Case in point, when a chick is hatching from its egg, it's somewhat hard to watch

https://youtu.be/7A7eREYfd3w

Yet if we helped the chick, that help might end up hurting the chick more than help it as it builds its strength getting out of the shell. It might not even live.

How Do You Feel In Different Environments

Today was the first day it hit 70 degrees in Ohio. I went for a bike ride, and later walked around a small pond tonight with the breeze in my hair. It was wonderful. I couldn't help but smile. When I got on trips for work, before I leave I always clean my kitchen spotless. Why? Because when I come home from a long trip to a sink full of dishes, it just sucks the life out of me.

Another Book Talking About Your Morning Ritual

Earlier in the year I was getting up at 6 and going to the gym. Then I started to stay up later, and now I can't get up (again, trying to rely on "pushing through"). When I start off my day in the right direction, I start off proud of myself and that leads to confidence which leads to me making the proper choices.

Journaling

He mentions that of meditation, prayer, and journaling, journaling is the most important. Writing helps you get focused and can boost your efforts by 10 by writing them down (or adding them in a digital journaling app.

I use Penzu (web-based, iOs, Android), other popular apps are Day One (iOs, Android, Mac), and Journey (although when you buy the upgrade on Journey it's only for that platform - All Platforms)

Lack Of Willpower Can Lead to InConsistency

I exported all the data out of my fitness pall going back many years. Going back 7 years I've lost 197.5 lbs. so for me to say I can't lose weight is a lie.

The problem is over the last 7 years I've gained over 416 lbs (roughly) which is why I'm at 218. So it's not a matter of losing weight, its a matter of consistency.

Keys to being Consistent

Keep an eye on your why (this is where the journaling helps)

Don't try to do it all at once - pick your battle (singular)

Schedule it - Don't prioritize your schedule, schedule your priorities - Steven Covey

Don't beat yourself up. If you fall off the wagon, get up and chase it down and get back on.

“In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”
Anthony Robbins

Another article I read said this:

Start off with a Morning Ritual

Do things even if you don't want to (cause you're changing things up and HUMANS HATE CHANGE)

Focus on the process - not the results

Find and do what you love - and then do it

Let go of self-images

Write down what you want

Mentioned in This Episode

Does this clutter make my butt Look Fat?

Man's Search for Meaning

Willpower Doesn't Work - Discover the hidden keys to Success

Free Audio Book www.logicalloss.com/audible

You Are Strong as Your Toughest Challenge

I spoke about his last week and in trying to get on the virgin diet, it wasn't I was missing food, or having legit cravings, it was that I have myself trained like a dog to get a snack at 10:30 AM and 3:00 PM (with lunch in the middle). I have a reminder on my watch and all week, I would get up and snack (strawberries, maybe one of JJ's bars) but she really wants you go to four to six hours between meals (meaning, no snacks). So it wasn't until Friday that I made it from breakfast to Lunch. Then the next day, I took that vircory and made it the whole day without snacking. It's hard to battle your mind, and to battle old habits, but you can do this.

Dave's New Spotify Playlist Game to Get Your Sweating at the Gym

Anything you can do to keep exercise fun, to keep you pushing a little harder is good in my book (always consult your doctor). There is a difference between "being active" and getting 10,000 steps and going to the gym and pushing your body ever so slightly past its limits and working up a sweat.  One easy way to do this fast call HIIT training. HIIT is a training technique which involves intense bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by varying periods of low-intensity active rest, or complete rest. HIIT can be a great option for staying in shape when time is an issue, as you can get an amazing fat-burning workout in 20 minutes or less

For me this means I fire up my Spotify playlist and when a new song came on a jogged for 30 seconds and then walked the rest of the song (for starters). Later in the week, feeling good I added a new twist. I would jog every time the chorus came on, and would keep jogging until the verse part of the song returned. This can be quite a workout if you have a song that keeps repeating the chorus at the end.

Who is JJ Virgin?

She's a hall of fame nutritionist and celebrity trainer. Her website is www.jjvirgin.com You've seen her on Dr. OZ, Dr. Phil, Rachel Rae, The Doctors, the Today show and the list goes on. I first saw her on a TV show called Freaky Eaters and loved her style and passion for helping people. She is a four-time NY Times Bestselling author. She also hosts her own podcast (see Apple Podcasts). She's been doing this for over 30 years, and you'll hear in this podcast why I like her as we discuss

• Why Coke Zero isn't food
• How there is more to calories in vs calories out
• The food you eat can disrupt your body chemistry and that's we are often discussing gut health.
• How to look at studies to determine if they are valid
• Who she trusts when it comes to knowledge about health
• What is different between the Virgin Diet and the Sugar Impact Diet
• Her FREE 7 Day Stop, Swap, and Drop challenge

JJ has a ton of great things on her website www.jjvirgin.com

JJ's Books'

The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 DaysThe Virgin Diet

The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Lose Weight and Feel Better Fast

JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet: Drop 7 Hidden Sugars, Lose Up to 10 Pounds in Just 2 Weeks

JJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet Cookbook: 150 Low-Sugar Recipes to Help You Lose Up to 10 Pounds in Just 2 Weeks

Miracle Mindset: A Mother, Her Son, and Life’s Hardest Lessons  Check out the Movie from the book for free

I've listened to or read all of the above and they are chock full of insights, strategies, inspirational stories, and this little thing I like to call the truth.

Books I Haven't Bought Yet But Will

ONE-POT MEALS: 44 Simple, Tasty Recipes That Take the Guesswork Out of Healthy Eating

JJ Products I'm Currently Using

JJ Virgin - Vanilla Plant-Based All-In-One Shake (Brand New Packaging), 30 Servings

JJ Virgin - Chocolate Paleo-Inspired All-in-One Shake, 30 Servings

JJ Virgin - All-In-One Protein Bar, Dark Chocolate Mocha (Box of 12)

JJ Virgin - Chocolate Paleo-Inspired All-In-One Shakes, 15 Servings 555 G (1.22LBS)

JJ Virgin - Dark Chocolate Coconut Fiber Bars (Box of 12)

JJ Virgin - Sleep Candy, Chewable Sleep Aid with Melatonin, 5-HTP, B6, Inositol & L-Theanine, 60 Tablets

JJ Virgin - Leaky Gut Support Powder, 225g

JJ Virgin - Safety Net, Cravings & Carb Digestion Support, 60 Capsules (great to take after a "slip up")

JJ Virgin - Metabolic Reset, Appetite & Fat Metabolism Support, 120 Capsules  (going to order this one)

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So what does this have to do with weight loss? 

Because I now floss much more than I use to. I've always brushed my teeth, but the flossing was an issue, and I also bought a waterpick. Why did all this happen? It was a reaction to a situation.

What if the Doctor said....

You have colon/breast cancer (I'm over 50 and never been scanned )

What if Your spouse said ...

We need to talk / I want a divorce

What if You Car...

Blew its engine due to lack of oil

I was listening to a podcast called, "You Wanna Do What?" by Monica Rivera and her episode on practicing self-discipline

She mentioned Will Smith's Instagram account and I agree that he is dropping some seriously inspiring knowledge

The Wisdom of Will Smith

Will was talking about self-discipline and mentioned how so many foods that are bad for you, and here YOU are CHOOSING to put this stuff IN YOUR BODY. Why are you kicking yourself where it counts? We are choosing things that are not in our own best interest.

Sure we would like to eat whatever you want, but that is going to lead to you getting bad news sometime in the future. You are riding the merry-go-round of misery. Round and round and round you go, when it stops you have some seriously bad health issues. 

So in the same way you have to put oil in your car or the engine blows up, you brush and floss your teeth, you have to develop the self-discipline to take care of you. When you bypass the fast food, you are doing self-discipline. 

If you are going to win the war against food, you need to win the war against your mind. Command your mind, and you will command your body. 

If our friend was trying to lose weight, and we saw them self-sabotaging their efforts we would tell them because we love them. Yet, we turn around and are blind, or refuse to see, the things that we do to sabotage our own efforts.

Call it What it is - FRANKENFOOD

When I see the new commercials for Coke zero, I don't care how much you tell me it's not bad for me I know better. I know that label has all sorts of things that don't belong in my body. We need to quit calling for the BS that we get thrown into our head multiple times a day, and start putting ourselves first. Yes, JR Mac is smaller than a Big Mac, but that doesn't mean it's good for you. JJ virgin talks about bringing the enemy into your house. She talks about putting poison in your body. 

Would you do this? 

Then don't let the enemy in your house, and don't put poison in your body. 

It's easier said than done, but you are stronger than you think. 

There were so many guys in spandex I thought I was at a rock concert in the 80's. There were six different matches going on at one time with Jason and another voice over person calling all of them. As a person with a slight case of A.D.D., it was a lot fo soak in. With a quick google search to see how to score a wrestling match, I settled in. 

Some of these matches were very close with almost no scoring. Then you'd see a blowout where one person was just getting thrown around the matt with little or no control. There was one GIANT guy who weighed 275 lbs that just kept throwing his opponents around. But here is what got me. I would look up and see someone who pretty much had no chance to win. There they were lining back up to continue the match, face to face with their opponent. They weren't giving up. 

In wrestling, there are times when you line up where you are on all fours, and your opponent has their hand under you on your stomach, and one arm on your arm. I was thinking; this would not be a good way to start. The choice of who would start up or down was determined with a coin flip. These guys were really going at it. At one point wrestler #1 had tried to rap his thigh around the wrestler #2's neck. Wrestler #2 stood up, and this was when I caught them. Back to back with one guy leg around the other guy's neck. One guy was standing on his hands with his leg around the guys head. It was a very weird position, and I'm sure either wrestler saw this coming tonight. 

It is at this point that they both just somewhat paused for a second, figured out where they were, and they knew where they wanted to go. They would "talk it over" in their head and all of a sudden they would put their plan into action. 

Remember the big guy I was talking about? I watched him win match after match. He was just throwing his opponents around like a bag of potatoes. THUMP they would land, he would jump on top of them, and the next thing you know they were pinned, and the match was over. Now it was later in the night; only the best had survived. It was the last match of the night, and here came the big guy in blue. His opponent in red was no small either but still was much smaller than the big guy in blue. The match started, and much like the other matches, the big dude commenced to throwing the other guy around like a bag of potatoes. I thought this was going to be another short match. Once again, this wrestler who many would think had no way of winning kept coming back. He kept finding a way to keep the match going. 

I watched as once again their arms and legs were all intertwined. The red guy was stuck. Both wrestlers paused a second, and I thought, "Oh here it comes." I was right, but I got a big surprise. All of the sudden the red wrestler spun around and ended up on top of the blue wrestler and before I could finish being surprised the ref called the match and the big blue wrestler had been pinned. The match was over. 

What Does This Have to Do With Weight Loss?

Everything

As we get older we often find ourselves in different weight divisions. The amount of weight I had to lose in my 20's is probably less than the weight I have to lose in my fifties. Throw on top of that, I've been losing muscle all these years and the effort it's going to take to lose the weight is going to take more effort. 

When I was little, I would play ping pong with my Dad and he would kick my butt. I had no chance. I would also play my best friend. We would play for hours, and then on the weekends, my Dad would get home (he was a long distance truck driver) and he would come down and kick our butts. He showed no mercy for these young teenagers. If you were going to beat him, there was only one way. 

I just got done listening to the Miracle Mindset book from JJ Virgin. JJ shares the story of her son being a victim of a hit and run that left him for dead. He had severe brain damage, his body was, well broken. He was never supposed to live, or wake up, or walk, or talk. Yet, due to a great mindset, he is. It is an amazing story. I listen to a lot of audiobooks, but this one I tackled in two days. I listened to it on the treadmill. It is an amazing story. Oh yeah, there was one more piece of the pie. JJ had just gone ALL IN on her book The Virgin Diet, the big publishing machine wheels were starting to roll, and if the book was not a success, JJ would be in financial ruin. Did I mention it's a great story?

One of the things that stood out for me is how we always rise to the occasion. I remember my Dad laughing. Not a giggle, but a big hearty bear laugh when I beat him the first game. The second game, he realized that I wasn't some little teenager anymore and I had improved. He paid more attention. It was a close game. He laughed again when I beat him. He was sweating now. "Alright, one more game Mr. Smarty Pants..." I was having a hard time playing as I was excited. My Dad was somewhat scary. He was a big guy, and I swear the whole house shook when he would march down the hall and throw open the door and tell me and my brother, "you boys need to sleep NOW!" Again, it was a very close match. We went into overtime. You had to win by two points, and in the end, I won. My Dad laughed, sighed, took a deep breath, and shook his head and came over and put his arm around me. 

You don't grow without facing challenges. JJ talks about this in her book. Just like the wrestlers, you need to figure out where you are, what you're up against, and the give it everything you have. When I got back from Florida about a month ago, I told myself it was time to notch it up a bit and pay closer attention to my health. It was time to go to the gym before getting on the computer. It was time to put me first. So I did. I was taking Advocare products as well. I now paid attention and took those and I'm down almost three lbs. It's not dropping fast, but its dropping. 

I had a weekend with a birthday and an out town guest (otherwise it would've been close to five lbs lost).  Just like wrestling, there will be surprises that life throws at you. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you end up with someone's butt in your face. The bottom line is you've overcome obstacles before, and this new challenge is what is going to take you to the new level. The new you. It's not going to be easy, and you may feel the cards are stacked against you, and that the score is life 10 you 0, but you can come up with a new plan, and you can do this.

For me, I read The Virgin Diet. I'm cutting things out of my diet for three weeks. I had to go to my PO BOx today. I had to pass SO MUCH fast food and ice cream. I've committed to taking my health seriously. I can do this. It wasn't easy, but I even passed a Dairy Queen and the next time  I do it I have that experience to draw on to make it easier. JJ is about being ALL IN, so I've ordered some of her shakes, supplements, and I borrowed her cookbook from the Library (Sweet Potatoes with cinnamon is quite yummy). It's my new strategy, and I'm willing to give it a try. 

The bottom line is, the only way you lose is if you quit, and I'm not dead yet, so I'm not quitting. 

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Jillian Michaels talks about how she absolutely refused to promote steam fresh products on the biggest loser as she wouldn't promote anything that promoted steaming in a plastic bag. What's the big deal? It comes down to BPA which stands for bisphenol A. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s. No, you can read that according to the Mayo Clinic that, "the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that BPA is safe at the very low levels that occur in some foods. This assessment is based on a review of hundreds of studies." For me, I don't believe a single word out of the FDA as every documentary I've ever seen shows how corrupt that government agency is. 

According to Livstrong.com, "These bags are sold with the vegetables inside and as stand-alone products. In general, microwaving foods in plastic containers may carry some health risks due to the transmission of BPA and pthalates from the plastic to the food. However, the bags specifically manufactured for use in microwave steaming do not contain BPA or pthalates. Further, many other types of plastic containers on the market today are safe for microwave use. Still, you should use steam bags as described by the manufacturer and not reuse them for other purposes." 

For me, I don't like the word, "MAY" as it may carry some health risks. To me, health risks is a yes/no question. If someone said, "May cause death, or may cause pregnancy" I'm not going to go down that path.

Many of the above articles mention an article from Good Housekeeping that states their studies show very little trace. It also states, "Many hadn't heard of bisphenol A before it grabbed the headlines earlier this year, but the chemical has been in our lives for decades" To this I ask, "So the fact that we've had a potentially bad chemical in our lives for years makes it ok to keep it?"

What's the big deal with BPA anyway, "BPA and phthalates are what are known as endocrine disruptors — chemicals that can interfere with our hormone systems, mimicking, shutting down, or modifying the chemical signals that regulate everything from metabolism and reproduction to our bodies' response to stress." source

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, advises against microwaving polycarbonate plastics or putting them in the dishwasher, because the plastic may break down over time and allow BPA to leach into foods. source

BPA - Who Cares?

Some things that have been tied to BPA include:
Lower sperm counts and other reproductive abnormalities

Early puberty

Cancer

Obesity and diabetes

Neurobehavioral abnormalities

My First Experience With a Steamer Basket

So I purchased a steamer basket that pretty much fits in any pot see http://amzn.to/2H2CufB. I bought a head of cauliflower ($3) and put an inch of water into a pan, and turned the heat on high.  I washed the cauliflower and broke it up, and by that time the water was boiling. I put in the basket, through the cauliflower in and set a time for 5 minutes. It came out perfect. The only struggle is getting the basket out and getting the cauliflower into my bowl. While you can grab the handle and pull it out, I opted to put on my Hot Hands (silicone heat resistant gloves) and picked up the basket via the handle and then carried the basket to my bowl and just dumped it in. (I LOVE my Hot Hands). The head of cauliflower will be the same as two bags of cauliflower (without the added spices and salt) and I avoid plastic. I do end up with a pot that needs cleaning (in a way, if you consider bowling water a dirty dish). 

Consider Yourself Nudged

If you are a regular listener/reader, you know I've been gone over the last few weeks. I've been to Orlando for a podcasting event, and then out to San Diego for a Social Media Event. In February I kept telling myself, "When I get back from San Diego" I will refocus on my health. I wasn't off the rails, but the exercise routine was moved down the priority. 

Well, now I'm back. Am I a liar? No. Then I guess I better hit the treadmill. I did. I guess I better eat right (see above). I'm cooking healthy options as I write this. The bottom line is we all often put lines in the dirt. Our favorite line is "tomorrow" and we all know it never comes. When it comes time to put up or shut up, you know you can do this. Take that first step.

I met a woman in San Diego. We had met a few times at different events. She's really a target customer for me as she really should start a podcast. When I met her again I was informed she had indeed started a podcast after buying a competitors product that cost multiple times more than mine. Why did she go to the competitor? He challenged her to start a podcast. With this in mind, I challenge you to take your health more seriously. I challenge you to plan your next meal. I challenge you to block off times where you can exercise. 

My New Why

For new people to the podcast/blog, I've been divorced for two years. I'm really not interested in starting a relationship, and to a certain extent thought "that part" of my heart may be dead. My ex-wife really took a toll on my self-esteem, and left me with what my friend Rany Cantrell from Leaning Toward Wisdom calls, "Head Trash." Well over the last few events, low and behold I still find a woman attractive, and low and behold actually found the strength to talk to a few. My game is very, very, rusty and it took a lot of courage and stepping out of my comfort zone, but in the end, I ended up with what amounted to a schoolboy crush on one woman. As these events are much like summer camp, I'm logical enough (hence the name of the show) to know the difference between a crush and legitimate feelings.  With the new "Hey my heart still works" mentality I did think ahead to the future. If I am ever to be naked in front of a human being again, I need to take some steps. If I'm going to attract a woman with something besides my wit and charm, I'm going to need to take some steps. I'm going to need to change my lifestyle. 

We all have different a "Why." Maybe you want to be there to see your grandchildren get married, or be there for your kids, or maybe you're just sick and tired of being sick and tired. For me, this new motivation is working. It may not work forever, but it's working now and as the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke don't fix it." So figure out you're why, and on those days that you don't want to exercise, or you're really craving some bad food, think back to your why. 

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I had previously talked about the free app Habitshare which is great for sharing your progress with people (look for me under logicalloss@gmail.com) who then can nudge you to keep you accountable. 

So I set up some tasks and aligned them on when they should be done during the day. I also have the app set up to send me alerts (for example 15 minutes before lunch alert me to take my pre-lunch supplements). 

By doing this, I have found I'm starting great, and starting with lunch, things go downhill. While my breakfast and snacks are on target, my lunch and dinner meals are not. This is not the end of the world, this is just helping me ID what the issues are so I can come up with a new game plan.

One thing I'm trying is instead of cutting things out, just eat less of them. For example, on lunch I would eat two skinless chicken thighs and a bag of broccoli. Now I meat eat one thigh. If I eat a salad, no more cheese, and maybe one hard boiled egg instead of two. 

I've been traveling and speaking. This keeps me beyond busy, and I just got home from Florida (it takes a week to get caught up) and now I'm getting ready to go to San Diego where I will be speaking at Social Media Marketing world. So I'm going to try to get some episodes in. Please don't give up on me, things will get better in March. I plan on really buckle down, and get this weight back off.

Figure Out What Is Wrong and Then Make Changes

The Habitshare app for me made it easy to throughout the day check in on my goals. Then looking back at the week see exactly what is going wrong and try to come up with a game plan to fix it. 

Give THE IDEA a shot if you're not a fan of apps. Write down the tasks you need to do every day to help you with your weight loss goals. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF if you didn't do it, don't mark that you did. By behind honest, you can see what is working and what is not. 

Restrictive operations like gastric sleeve surgery make the stomach smaller and help people lose weight. ... More than half of your stomach is removed, leaving a thin vertical sleeve, or tube, that is about the size of a banana. Surgical staples keep your new stomach closed.

Is it Worth it?
No matter which weight loss surgery you choose, the procedure will be expensive and will require that you make big changes to your lifestyle. You might wonder if gastric bypass is worth it. Or if other procedures like the gastric balloon, sleeve gastrectomy or lap band is worth the risk

Pros and Cons
A gastric sleeve surgery is a restrictive procedure to help you with weight loss. Find out its' pros and cons before making your decision. A gastric sleeve surgery (sleeve gastrectomy) is a restrictive procedure to help you with weight loss. ... Your new stomach size limits the amount of food you can eat

Can You Put The Weight Back On?
As a result, patients lose up to 70% of their excess body weight within 18 months to 2 years. However, up to 3 out of 10 gastric sleeve patients gain weight after reaching their low weight (1)(2). The amount varies widely by patient, ranging from only a small amount of weight to all of it (3)(4) source

What do you need to take after the surgery?

Multivitamin with Minerals – You'll want to use chewable vitamins or patches for the first month after surgery. ...
Iron – Iron may be recommended. ...
Calcium Citrate – Taken 3 times daily.
Vitamin B12 – May be recommended.

Avoid sugar, sugar-containing foods and beverages, concentrated sweets and fruit juices. For the first two months following surgery, your calorie intake should be between 300 and 600 calories a day, with a focus on thin and thicker liquids. Daily caloric intake should not exceed 1,000 calories source

THIS POST has a ton of people who seem to be gaining the weight back after operations

She Lost 100+ Lbs With Small Achievable Steps

I was reading a Dr. Oz Magazing that included the story of Andrea Freitas who does the A Measured Life blog on how she lost 100+ lbs. Here are some of the steps she took:

She replaced one coke with a glass of water each week. 

She cut her calories by eating smaller portions instead of cutting out food.

This also took years to achieve. She didn't do this in six weeks. 

She went from 275 to 168 and she is keeping it off.

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So I noticed that in my new Advocate Spark (I love the grape) that it included Matlodextrin. Then I looked at their really yummy Chocolate protein drink. What did I find? You guessed it Maltodextrin. At first, I thought Advocare was trying to fool me (the box of Spark shows "Sugar-free." Then I looked at the awesome low priced Chocolate Wehy Protein from Equate (which is also delicious). What did I find? You guessed it Matlodextrin. Lastly, I pulled out some drinks from Slimgenics that I used to consume. There it was again. Maltodextrin.

So I asked, "Uncle Google" and here is what I found

If you’re trying to lose weight, you will want to avoid maltodextrin. It’s essentially a sweetener and a carbohydrate with no nutritional value, and it causes an increase in blood sugar. The levels of sugar in maltodextrin can lead to weight gain.  - www.healthline.com

Maltodextrin is a food ingredient made from starch. It is used as a flavor carrier and to improve thickness, texture, body, and taste of food products. Maltodextrin is a polymer that consists of multiple units of glucose linked together in a linear fashion. Maltodextrin is commercially made starting with a simple starch and using the hydrolysis process. It is also a main ingredient in the brand-name sugar substitute Splenda

it is controversial as it is often made from corn, and most corn is genetically modified, this Maltodextrin is GMO based. There are no known GMO versions available. A controversy has started on the internet about maltodextrin causing a spike in blood sugar. But maltodextrin is seldom used by itself as a food, but rather as an ingredient in a food, thus this isn’t a serious concern.  - Go Clean Label https://gocleanlabel.com/what-is-maltodextrin/

According to Livestrong.com

"The Center for Science in the Public Interest has recognized maltodextrin as safe and fructose as an additive to cut back on in the diet. Experts agree that sugar, no matter the form, should comprise no more than 10 percent of total caloric intake. Most Americans get double this recommendation." Source

For me, it just seems like every form of sugar isn't for you and this may show as a carb instead of sugar in your food tracking. It seems wherever they pull out sugar, they just replace it with a substitute.

21 Ways To Lose Weight

1. Forcast Your Meal, and eliminate the question, "What's for Dinner?"
2. Rein in your sweet tooth
3. Once a day eat a salad
4. Sit down when you eat
5. Find a workout buddy
6. Exercise even when you don't feel like it
7. Hope on a scale once a week
8. Get to bed at a decent hour
9. Rish, shine and eat
10. Don't rely on willpower
11. Track your steps, but watch your feed
12. Cut back on TV time
13. Double down on Produce
14. Reorganize your fridge
15. Watch the booze
16. Think: Fast, slow, repeat.
17. Stop sipping your calories
18. Make friends with free weights
19. Try a new exercise
20. Do lunch like the Japanese
21. Learn how to relax about food.

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Thanks to "the Kims" who left some kick butt comments last week, and basically saying they encourage me to keep trying, but maybe Advocare is not the best way to go. In the end its Food, Water, Sleep, and Activity that lead to weight loss. 

So I said I was going back to what I use to do. Then I had to take a look at what I am doing now and compare it to what I was doing when I lost weight. Sure, I eat a lot of chicken and vegetables, but if I REALLY look at what I do, some things have crept in. 

1. I went MONTHS without Fast food, and now I was eating Fast Food two times a month. Now I might say, "Well, it's only two, but the bottom line is, I DIDN'T DO THIS AT ALL  when I was losing weight.
2. Once a quarter I was now eating ice cream. This never happened when I was losing weight.
3. I was being more active. While I'm not as concerned at getting 10,000 steps (as I'm looking more into weight lifting), that turned into not doing much of either

So I started tracking everything I was eating, and made to sure hit my calorie goal (1900) and I did. Since then, you guessed it I started losing weight. 

Seven Minute Workout

The other thing that I started using is the app " 7 "  or you can search for Seven. As I have to be honest with myself, I realize I'm not going to go out here in Ohio in January when it's -2 degrees. So I still want to build muscle, so I fired up this app. It's free and you can purchase more exercises if you want. It has a game effect where they want you to exercise every day for seven months.  I believe this is new to the app but you can now connect with friends and see their activity on your app. So now, when you see that they did their exercise you may inspire to do your exercise. Here is a link to a demonstration video

Habit Share App

Another fun app that has a built-in accountability is called Habit Share. It takes all of two minutes to setup and you can look for friends and share your goals with them. So now they can see how good (or bad )they are doing. then you can encourage them when they are doing good, and nudge them if they seem to have fallen and can't get back up. It works on both Android and iOs. It's completely free with no ads. Here is a demonstration video

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Mentioned in the Show
www.ynab.com You Need a Budget

Think Up Affirmations App

I really liked their meal replacement shakes. Check out www.logicalloss.com/advocare

I lost 30 lbsa year ago. I went to a place called Slimgenics, and just about the time I was at goal weight I quit going. Why?

It was expensive. Sometimes 300-400 a month.

I wasn't sure what I was putting in my body.

So here I am a year later and back where I was. I had to ask myself, do I really care how I lose the weight if I don't damage my body? The answer was no.

The other factor is I hurt my back in such a way that I could move for two days. I thought to myself, "remember how this feels" because I didn't have that issue when I weighed less. I wasn't sick, and I had more energy.

A listener to the show told me about Advocare and how he had used it to drop some weight. I looked into it. It has a definite "Amway/Multilevel" feel about it, but I was curious about the products and the price. It isn't cheap, but then again a Big Mac Value Meal is $6 and the meal replacements were less than that (for preferred customers). They do have a lot of medical doctors on staff to make sure the products work and are safe

New Products Same Plan

So I'm going to start off the same way I did last year with a 24 day jump start to get my body ready for the nutrients and supplements I will be feeding it. The 24-Day Jumpstart™ is designed to fuel a fresh start and help set you on the path to a healthy lifestyle. You will begin with a 10-day Cleanse Phase to help prepare your body for optimal nutrition, then complete the 14-Day Max Phase where you will start to develop a routine of fueling your body with quality supplementation and a healthy, balanced diet.

When that is over, the 28-Day Optimize™ keeps it simple with the same product routine each day, flexible food choices, and daily activity so that it’s sustainable and easy to adjust based on your specific goals and needs

Then I'll be doing the 28-Day Lifestyle™ is a commitment to making a true transformation by sticking with the healthy habits you have learned up to this point and working towards a long-term routine. 

So you end up with 24+28+28= 80 days

Here is a handout to start tracking your progress

For more information check out Dave's Advocare store at www.logicalloss.com/advocare

Thanks To Our Awesome Supporters

I want to thank Laura from Oregon for her very generous donation to keep the lights on here at the Logical Weight Loss Podcast. If you'd like to help, see www.logicallosers.com

My goal is 1900 calories.

If I'm going to eat three meals and three snacks, I look at it as my snacks should add up to one meal. 

1900 / 4 = 475

And if all of my snack for the day add up to 475 and I plan on eating three then 475 / 3 = 158

In using MyFitnessPal (or any of the other of the available apps) I can easily come up with meals that come in under those limits

I looked at the ingredients of what I call "The Big Salad" (for all you Seinfeld fans) 

-images on website at www.logicalloss.com/346 -

To put this in English, I need to get a potential more calorie efficient dressing, lose the cheese and instead of dumping 8 ounces of chicken (the whole bag) cut that in half and that would cut close to 300 calories. 

A typical lunch for me is

Two baked chicken thighs: 260

Broccoli and Carrots 100

and I would actually have room for an Apple ( 80 calories)

(total 440)

My Breakfast is Often:

2 Eggs: 144
Honeycrisp Apple 80

(total 224)

or 

Equate Chocolate Whey Protein Powder 180

Unsweetened Almond Milk: 2 cups 90

Banana  110

Jif Natural Peanut Butter 95

(total 465)

In the end I look at this and go, "Yeah, I can fo that."

Mind Hacking: Free Ebook

You can find the entire book at https://www.mindhacki.ng/content/write/index.html

Here again, it's the same answer we hear over and over.

1. WRITE IT DOWN
2. REPEAT what they call "Positive Loops" to Your Self - and this book says to write them down 15 times a day (I'm going to go back and try the Think Up App
3. SIMULATE - Think of yourself doing these steps
4. COLLABORATE - There are powers in working with people
5. ACT

Listen to the show here

The setup was easy. It took about 10 minutes.

It is NOT like a motorized treadmill, so it's going to feel different. When I do a lot of walking on a motorized treadmill, the bottoms of my feet and knees feel it the next date. With this, my thighs felt it ( really felt it) as you're kind of pushing the belt along.

It takes a while to get the right settings. It seemed at first that you had to have your hands on the railing to keep a consistent speed. This is bad as I have a Fitbit on my wrist, and it doesn't count steps if I do it this way (I can always put it on my shoe, pocket, etc).

Once I got the right settings, I was able to "Just walk" on it and I didn't have to think too much about it. But the days of pressing start, and grabbing a book to read, etc are not gonna happen (at least not after using it for a week). It seemed I had to concentrate on what I was doing.

I do like that it has a place for a water bottle, and it checks your pulse. It seems well made. The displays is plastic, so I would take it easy on it, but what do you expect for under $200.

It folds up east, and while it's not light, I could transport it to another room (there are wheels on the bottom of it).

So it is different, and as humans, we normally don't like change, I think the more I used this the more I will like it. I am amazed that even though I'm going slower than a motorized treadmill, I appear to burn more calories as I'm dripping with sweat.

Hello Fresh Review

I was at Podcon and was next to a Hello Fresh booth. I eventually had to order just to get the salesperson ( a nice guy) to quick pitching me. Here are my thoughts.

The Hello Fresh app makes it super easy, and even a "picky eater" can find meals.

The meals come to about $10 a meal.

They say 10 minutes for prep, and 30 minutes to cook. For me, it was more 15 minutes of prep, and 35 minutes to cook.

The one meal I've cooked so far was super delicious.

The shipping was great. There is a giant block of ice to keep everything cool, and you simply open the box, and pull the bags out and put them in the fridge.

Who Is it For?

Busy people who don't have time to shop.

People who are tired of eating the same thing over and over.

People who eat out alot.

Can I Cancel or Pause My Account?

You can pause your account via the app.

You can click a button in the app to call customer service and they will cancel you if that's what you want.

What Does it Cost?

For me, it was $59 a week for three meals. There are different plans available.

Final Thoughts on Hello Fresh

The one meal I've had so far was really good.

If I compute what I eat for dinner or lunch, it's about $5 a meal. So this is double what I pay if I go shopping and buy in bulk.

As someone who is now dreading going out into the Ohio cold, I may be willing to pay more for food if I don't have to go get it, (And I like my food choices)

At this point, I'm going to give it another week with six more meals and go from there.

If you want to try it, check out www.logicalloss.com/hellofresh you'll get $40 off your first week.

I made it through all six weeks of my step bet and ended up making $9 (a 22% return on my $40). 

Still Trying to Get Back on Track

I've got over my cold but pulled muscles in my back. The bad news is I'm now really down to zero in momentum. 

I realize that the next step isn't going to be easy. I'm back to square one. I know that but I also know if I push through. 

Under Desk Baby Elyptical Not For Me

I tried an elliptical that fits under your desk, but it wasn't for me. It was the Stamina In-Motion Elliptical Trainer, and while I wasn't trying it under a desk ( I was standing on it), in that situation it just worked my calves. 

Manual Treadmills

I watched a ton of videos looking into Manual Treadmills (no motor). I liked the Fitness Reality TR3000 Maximum Weight Capacity Manual Treadmill with 'Pacer Control' & Heart Rate System because there is a place for your water bottle. It's $179. 

(Behind the scenes, this unit was lost during transit. I had originally ordered it from walmart.com) They apologized, gave me a 10% discount, and will ship me a new one. )

When You Can't Exercise

Remember that exercise is important, but in the end, you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet. So with no treadmill, I'm really watching what I am eating, and trying to find ways to stay active. 

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What does commitment mean? According to Merriam-Webster:

a :an agreement or pledge to do something in the future a commitment to improve conditions at the prison; especially :an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date
b :something pledged the commitment of troops to the war
c :the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled a commitment to a cause

For me, it means acknowledging the importance of something and scheduling your life around it.

Here is an example (and I don't want to get into a religious discussion). Back in the early 1970's when I was growing up, there weren't many stores open on Sunday. Most people were committed to going to church. Many businesses opened later (if at all) and often closed early. The biggest reason for this was many Americans went to church. It was important. We scheduled our Sundays around going to church.

Some people say they are committed to walking a mile a day. Every day they put on their shoes and get up and go walking. Then one day it rains. One person opens the door and says, "That's too bad, I was in the mood to walk today." The other person opens the door and sees the rain, and puts on a raincoat and grabs an umbrella. One person knows how important walking is, and schedules their life, and make arrangements to keep it at the top of their priority list.

I recently went to Washington DC to speak at a podcast event. My hotel was about a mile from the event. It was between 35-50 degrees during the days and evenings. I had someone who was also at the event so we split the hotel bill. I explained I was a Step Bet, and I needed to get 9922 steps per day. I wanted to let him know that at night I me be doing laps around the hotel by walking in the hallway or using their exercise room. He suggested we walk to and from the event every day. This made making my daily goals easy. I still had to walk a bit at the hotel, but for a small amount of time. Step bet is an app where you put money in, and you have to hit your step goals for six weeks. When I started there were 598 people, three weeks in and we are down to 450 people with $23,920 that will be split by the people who hit their goal for six weeks.

Typically we hear the word commitment in regards to a relationship. When you are in a committed relationship, you don't go looking for another one.

With weight loss you are committing to a lifestyle and you don't go looking for another one. You are committed to eating different foods, and you don't go looking for others.

In the same way that "cheating" can devastate a committed relationship, cheating on a diet can devastate any progress you have made.

When Does Five Minus Two Equal Zero? Weight Loss Math

You are committed five days of the week. Monday through Friday you are committed. You've been focused for a few weeks and you are down four lbs. Then the weekend comes and you are busy, and you start eating fast food, you grab some cookies and desserts. You can be good for five days, and in two days on the weekend wipe out all your progress leaving you with zero.

I have got under 220. I'm a 217 lbs. This is partially due to staying committed. I'm eating right, exercising, and I got help by being sick. That leads me to my next topic

Why Do You Lose Weight When You Get Sick?

The real reason for losing all of this weight is dehydration. I know for a fact that being sick also requires an increased need for water. When people fall ill they do not drink enough. Water is a vehicle for every chemical action that occurs in the body. It is really important for healing and staying hydrated (obviously). Water is lost through excessive sweating when you are ill. Your body temperature runs high during a time of illness thus increasing your water loss. You need to drink an abundant amount of fluid during your illness and you will see little to no weight loss. I think that if one could make themselves eat more and drink enough during an illness they would be able to actually gain a little weight. It kind of works weird, huh? When there is a time that benefits us to eat a little extra we do not feel like doing so. When we want to eat more we really should not, but hey, that is life. -source

When you are sick, it is normal to lose a bit of weight as you’ll generally consume fewer calories, and less fluid, than you would normally consume to maintain your weight. If you are ill for more than a few days, this can be a marked weight loss. Sick for a week, it might be as much as 4-5 pounds. Sick longer and you should really be speaking with your doctor, not your personal trainer. Before we go any further, you should know that approximately half of the weight you’ll lose when sick is fluid weight, so you can expect to gain back about half of what you’ve lost within a day or two of recovering. Being sick is not a way to lose weight. That’s just dumb. -source

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Do Fitbits Realy Motivate People?

There is a study from Harvard about using Fitbits (or any activity trackers). They had a number of groups:

• use of a Fitbit Zip, a popular clip-on activity tracker (with payment of $3/week to continue in the study regardless of the number of steps taken)
• a Fitbit plus a cash incentive ($11 for taking 50,000 to 70,000 steps each week, or $22 for more than 70,000 steps/week)
• a Fitbit plus a payment to a charity (which was larger with increased activity)
• a control group that did not use an activity tracker; this group also received the $3/week for participation regardless of activity levels.

In the end, the group that got good old hard CASH was more motivated. 

Other reports show when you work activity into a group activity or game that can boost engagement, and again, if you throw in money, that seems to get people's attention.

Shocking isn't it that money motivates people...

In my opinion, the only kind of motivation is self-motivation. 

If we can get our head inside the "big picture" we can see where WE WILL save money in the future by not having to rely on medicine, pills, and surgeries. 

If you're interested in a Fitbit, you can check them out here. If you just want a small clip-on unit, (the ZIP) they start at $59. (these might be getting discontinued as they aren't available at Amazon). 

My Old Air Fryer Turned Into a Smoke Machine

I had purchased a Power Air Fryer XL for 159 in March. I used it weekly and while I loved it the first few times I used it, I began to dislike it and eventually threw it away. Here is why:

1. Cleaning the basket chewed up your sponges
2. The idea was to keep your food out of the grease, they had a dimple in the bottom of their pan to keep the basket raised, but if you put a fair amount of chicken thighs, it weighed down the basket to where the food was soaking in great. What is the point of a six-quart fryer, if you can't load it up?
3. I don't think it was the basket or the bucket that cause the problem but the oven itself. I would wait for it to cool, and attempt to clean the roof, and there was a weird edge around the oven that the bucket/basket slid into. I saw where grease was building upon it. You had to stand on your head to see inside of the oven. 
4. It leaked grease on my counter
5. The final time I used it, I looked like I was at a Kiss concert with this thing billowing smoke that filled my apartment and set off my smoke detector (multiple times). 

Enter the NuWave Brio Air Fryer

I looked around and Walmart and Target didn't carry more than one unit, and I wanted to be able to look into the unit to see how I could clean it. I went to Bed Bath Beyond and ended up with the NuWave Brio Air Fryer (3 quarts instead of the six quarts I previously). The price was $89.  There is a six-quart version for $129. 

I chose it as the basket looks like it will be easier to clean, and there is a tab in the bucket to ensure that the basket stays out of the grease (and after using it four times it does).

It also has a pre-heat option that I like (it doesn't take too long).  The reviews seem where the majority are positive, and some of the negative reviews are interesting, "The oven was hot...." um yeah, yes it is. 

You also need to leave from any air fryer to have space for the heat coming out of the fryer has a place to go. 

Mentioned in This Show

Spryfit

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Step Bet is the sister to Diet Bet. With Step Bet you put in some money, and it reads the data from your fitness Tracker (Fitbit, Garmin, Apple Watch) and assigns you a goal. You have active days (a smaller goal) and a stretch goal. For me, my goals are  9922 steps for active days and 12, 222 for a stretch days. (Your goals will be different based on your previous days). In a week you have four active days, and two stretch days and one off day. Do that for six weeks and you get a portion of the pot. My current pot has 600 people with a pot of 24,000. If 75% of people fail that means 18,000 will be divided between 150 people with a net of $120 (minus a cut for step bet). If money motivates you this scenario would bring a 300% return on investment (as I put in $40). 

 The key (for me) is getting up a litter earlier, and at night getting my steps in before doing any other activities (or by watching TV while on a treadmill). The real challenge here is the six weeks of consistency. 

Its available on iOs and Andorid (see www.stepbet.com )

Understanding Affirmations

I was reading the book Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle and it had one of the best descriptions of why and how they work.

In the book Tony states:

All day long you carry on a mental conversation with yourself. Psychologists estimate that we think up to 60,000 thoughts a day and that 98 percent of these thoughts are the same ones we had yesterday—most of them negative. In a year, that’s almost 22 million thoughts!

The basis for positive thinking and philosophies such as the law of attraction is that the subconscious is amenable to suggestion. People who say that positive thoughts and affirmations don’t work aren’t using them effectively or consistently, or they’re wishing for the positive while thinking about the negative.

This is me. I would try them for maybe three days. Mixed messages

If a captain gives an order such as “Go east,” then keeps changing his mind—“No, go west … no, go north”—the ship would never get anywhere! This is also why most people get nowhere with their fitness, weight loss, or muscle-building endeavors. Ironically, the very statement “Positive thinking doesn’t work” is a negative suggestion guaranteeing that it won’t work!

Again, this is 100% me.

The conscious mind is a lot like the captain on the bridge of a ship. The captain sends a command to the engine room. The subconscious mind is like the people down in the engine room. No matter what orders come down from the bridge (conscious mind), the crew obeys, even if the orders are stupid ones that crash the ship into a rocky shore. The reason this happens is that the crew (the subconscious) can’t see where the ship is going; they are simply following orders.

Like the ship’s crew, your subconscious mind carries out every command it accepts from your conscious mind. Its sole purpose is to obey your orders, even if you give ones like “I’ll always be fat.” Frequent repetition of thoughts (mental orders) is one certain way to penetrate the subconscious mind. By constantly repeating negative commands such as “I can’t lose weight,” your subconscious will see to it that you never lose weight because that’s its job: to follow your every command literally and without question. If you program your mind with negative suggestions often enough, it will lead you right into cheating on your diet, skipping workouts, or some other form of self-sabotage.

Without a target, your subconscious simply steers you toward your dominant thoughts. The subconscious mind is always at work 24 hours a day, whether you direct it consciously or not. 

Because of how your subconscious operates, it’s crucial to focus on what you want to achieve, not on what you want to avoid.

He mentions in the book that much like weight lifting you need to give affirmations 25-30 days to sink in.  I've never been able to completely buy into Affirmations. To “affirm” something, by dictionary definition, means that you are declaring it to be true. When you say an affirmation over and over again, a couple of things happen. Your sub-conscience gets busy noticing ways to help you achieve your goals.  

Because your brain is constantly looking for clues to filter your environment and guide your actions, it will pick up on any available influence.

This could mean all the subconscious fears and doubts you haven’t dealt with or even messages in your environment.

The reason you need to repeat them is

To run efficiently, your brain strengthens its connections every time you think, feel and do.

This helps you perform tasks with less energy and more focus.

Think about driving a car or riding a bike.

It can be awkward at first when you're learning, but after you figure it out, it comes naturally.

The Tension of Repeating a "Lie" May Be the Key

One article stated, "If you feel uncomfortable about lying to yourself, you’ll want to fix it. You’ll either change the affirmation to make it comfortable, or you’ll change your lifestyle and habits to make the affirmation true.The latter action is the response that will completely transform your life for the better!"

While another article suggested adding reality to your affirmations such as:

I am frustrated by my eating habits, but I am learning to treat myself with the respect I deserve. I am learning to do better. 

I am sad about the fact that I’m still single, but I am learning how to relate with men in a more open, brave, and vulnerable way. I am learning to do better.

I am scared about handling this big, new project, but I am learning to have confidence in my ability to achieve my goals. I am learning to do better.

These statements aren’t “empty self-praise” or temporary “mood-boosters.”

They’re honest, self-respecting assessments about where we’re at, what we’re learning, and what we’re capable of becoming. They are affirmations of truth—and the truth will set you free.

One Article on Psychology Today in 2017 stated, "the process of self-affirmation changes the way we think about our tasks or goals, so that we think about our tasks in more abstract/value-related ways, as opposed to concrete, lower-level actions."

How Do You Write an Affirmation?

One study found that if you have really low self-esteem, doing positive self-esteem can actually BOOST your negative self-esteem as you argue with yourself. FULL ARTICLE 

Some people suggest a more honest affirmation.

ThinkUp Affirmation App

I found this app ThinkUp: Positive Affirmations & Motivation Daily - Precise Wellness LLC

that is super helpful, easy to navigate and guides you through creating your own affirmations. You record them in your own voice, and then pick the background music, and more. You can test it for free, and then either rent the app for $3/month or buy a lifetime license for $24.

I've used other affirmation apps, and this one is the easiest to use, and just seems more thought out and professional. You have access to affirmations from experts (for those who don't want to make up their own), and I just liked using the app. I can see me using this on a daily basis.

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I shut up and did. I got up at six AM and went to the gym. The next day, as expected my muscles were sore, but I only notice when I move. So going from standing to sitting, sitting to standing, etc. Most of the time, I might notice a little plumpness, but in reality, on a scale from one to ten, it's about a three. Most of the day I don't notice it. I need to buckle up, suck it up and just do it.

Physically inactive people can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you’ll still have some muscle loss. I'm now 52, which means I may have lost ou tp 10% of my muscle. This loss of muscle even has a name, "Sarcopenia." Sarcopenia typically happens faster around age 75. But it may also speed up as early as 65 or as late as 80

In the same way that almost every book I read says to eat a good healthy breakfast, they all say changing your body requires weight lifting (either via weights or body weight exercises).

How I'm Able To Tolerate Exercises I Hate.

1. I Made it a Game

I've got an app, and I'm going to use it to make weight lifting a game to see how I can compete against old workouts to see if I can make it better. When I go to the gym I've adopted an attitude mentioned in the book and that is "I don't want to go to maintain; I go to the gym to improve. And if I want to improve, then today I must aim to beat my previous workouts and do something I've never done before."

Now do be silly and over do it, but realizing there should be progress in the future it the mindset I have.

2. Made it Easy

I found an app to track and customize my downloads. While you don't need this, I wanted the documentation to track my progress (more on this in a minute)

3. Ensured Success

The first time I attempted to get up at Six AM I failed. I reached out an turned the alarm clock next to my bed off and went back to bed. On Wednesday in addition to the alarm clock, I set my phone as an alarm and put it in a place where I would hear it, but have to get out of bed to turn it off.

4. I Lie To Myself

Lifting weights for the rest of my life is depressing (although who knows as a month I might like this). So my goal is to get to 190 by February 8th 2018 (my 52nd birthday). It is an aggressive goal, but I'm committed. By telling myself, "It's only until February" I can stomach the pain as I know it's not forever.

5. I Give Myself Pop Talks

I mentioned a few episodes about using non-flattering pictures as motivation, I've also made posters with my goal weight, my goal date, and a slogan like "YOU GOT THIS" and I've put it in my kitchen, my bathroom, and other places I see on a regular basis. I've also found a cool affirmation app (more on that later).

6. I've Got Some Skin in the Game

I spent some money on some new tools (Skulpt Chisel, and some apps) so I need to get my money's worth.

Skulpt Chisel Review

I came across the Skulpt Chisel on YouTube. I saw very chiseled men singing it's praises. What is it? It's a device that looks like a plastic wallet. You spray some water on some sensors and push it against your body in different locations to get insights into your body composition (how much fat, and how much muscle). It syncs with your phone (works on both iOs and Android) and gives you an overall reading on your body composition as well as each body party. It's not shocking as a man in his 50's with a body that looks like a man in his 50's my worst area is my belly (abs only 29.9% muscle). The Skult Chisel is $99 so I bought it knowing I really wanted to track all of my changes (and I love gadgets)

A Very Rough Start

Anytime I buy anything electronic, I expect it to need to update the minute I get it out of the box. After all, how long has it been sitting on a shelf somewhere? What the PDF didn't tell me is that for me to connect to the skulpt, I needed to go into my Bluetooth settings of my phone and disconnect all other Bluetooth devices.  I sat trying and trying to connect my phone and it just wouldn't. I would find it, the device would turn green, and it would prompt me to press a button and that would then lock it up.

Thank God for Google. I was able to find a Facebook group with some clues. I turned off all Bluetooth devices, and I put it on the charger to be able to update the unit. This took me an hour to figure out.

I was really surprised that while everyone and their brother is reviewing the Skulpt Chisel, there are very few videos (and zero from the company) on how to use it. They give you a squirt bottle and a pdf. I had no idea how much to squirt on the sensors before pressing it against my body. It turns out you only need a squirt or two.

So the learning curve was pretty bad, but once I get it all setup and syncing, everything works fine. You can do a full scan (where you measure many parts of your body) or a quick scan (which scans around four parts of your body).

I did get some help with Skulpt on Facebook, who pointed me at their help desk I'm still not sure how I missed their support area, but I did.

Skulpt Chisel Fairly Easy to Use

Once I go through the initial setup and update, the Skulpt Chisel is pretty easy to use. You don't have to spray that much water on the sensors. You might occasionally have to reposition the unit to get a good reading, but so far I'm happy with it. While my Withings (now owned by Nokia) scale lets me know my body fat percentage (29.3) the Skulp Chisel said I was at 31% and let me see where the problem areas were.

The Analysis Needs Work

I liked that it lets me know I need to work my shoulders and even gives me names of exercises I could do to build those muscles. Then when I click on the name of the exercise it leads me to a page that apparently had a video at one point, but it was removed. So it's helpful, ( I can search the exercise and find a video) but it just left me thinking that they are understaffed.

Some Features Not Available

Some videos I saw on YouTube mentioned it would give nutrition advice. That does not exist at this point and time.

Overall Summary About Skulpt Chisel

Yes the setup procedure was a nightmare and they need to update their PDF, but once it's going (and since you read this article you shouldn't have as bad an experience) I like it, and I believe the graphics it generates will help motivate me to keep going.

More Information Available Here

Workout Tracking Made Easy With the Stacked App.

I've tried a few apps in the past and they seemed geared toward the bodybuilder with uber options or made shaping a list of exercises into a workout confusing (pumping weight app). The Stacked App is for iOs only at this point, and I love the fact that I was able to log in, click around and figure out how to add an exercise that wasn't listed (even though their list is impressive) turn those exercises into workouts. Then as I was actually doing the workout it was super easy to enter the weight and reps (and add exercises on the fly if needed). You can try it for free, but it's only $4.99

Key Points:

Create your own workout routines, or choose from one of our pre-made workouts for both men and women

Pay once, and you’ll get lifetime access to everything Stacked has to offer, as well as free upgrades as it improves

You’re going to love how elegant, simple, and uncluttered Stacked is, both visually and functionally.

All your information is automatically and securely stored on their servers, so you never lose it

There are no ads in the app. Ads are ugly, intrusive, and annoying, and you won’t find any in Stacked, whether you upgrade or not.

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You can only have 1 number one priority. If you try to do everything, you may be able to do a lot of stuff, but you more than likely will not be doing any of it well. Thus, some things you have to blow off and not worry about it. I've mentioned before that you don't have to keep up with the Kardashians. 

The author mentions that we often operate in the Motivation > Action > Results mindset. We wait until we hit rock bottom, and we get motivated to take some action. Those actions lead to results. Thos results motivate us to the take more actions, which brings more results (and it keeps on repeating).

The author changes the trigger. Instead of waiting for rock bottom, change it to where step one is Take Action > Results > Motivation. That motivation then leads to more action. Thus to get the ball rolling DO SOMETHING. 

This is especially true if you did something and the results were not what you were looking for. Does this mean there is no motivation? Well, there may be motivation to not do something that apparently did not work. 

Motivated to Help Others? Try Charity Miles

Earn money for charities every time you run, walk, or bicycle by using the free Charity Miles app. Corporate sponsors (whose information you'll see as a backdrop image in the app) agree to donate a few cents for every mile you complete. Browse the app's list of charities, find the one that you support, and then hit the road. When a lot of people use Charity Miles, those little bits of money add up.

When Charity Miles first launched, its developers created an initial pool of $1 million to donate to charities as people used the app. Once that pool of money ran out (and it has), the developers said they would find corporate sponsors to continue making donations on the user's behalf (and they have). Running and walking earns 25 cents per mile, while bicycling earns 10 cents per mile. As the end-user, you don't have to do anything at all to make sure that money reaches your charity. Charity Miles handles that part.

Before you start running, walking, or bicycling, you select a charity from a list. These charities include the World Wildlife Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, Wounded Warrior Project, Stand Up to Cancer, and many others. You can choose a different charity each time you log more miles, or you can stick with just one. It's entirely up to you.

As you start to move, you see your speed and total miles add up. Behind these basic stats is a backdrop image that's also an advertisement from the sponsoring organization. (That's how they make money).

The app starts tracking when you pick an activity. When you finish your run, walk, or ride, you press the red button to complete the activity. The app shows you a summary of how far you traveled and how much money you earned for your organization of choice. There are a few other features in the app, such as the ability to join a team or form your own team so that you can collectively raise money for charities with friends.

Charity Miles users have earned over 2.5 million dollars for charity. For more info go to http://www.charitymiles.org/

What is Dave Reading?

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle: Transform Your Body Forever Using the Secrets of the Leanest People in the World

I'm not looking to get six pack abs, but burning fat sounds good. Like every other book I've read, the first part of the book explains why THIS ONE is better. I just started it (listening on Audible)

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Here are some key points:

1. You only have so much capacity to care without stressing out. Pick what you care about and apply it to those things that matter.

2. While things in your life may not be your fault, it is your responsibility to do the right thing. For example, what if someone put a baby outside your door. It's not your fault, but it's up to you to do the right thing.

3. Comparing your life to others can suck all the joy out of your life. 

In the book, he talks about how we often approach weight loss the same way we do a test in High School. We cram for the test, and the minute we hand in our paper we wipe away that information. I am also listening (I rarely read, I listen to most of the books) to The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Busines and in that book he explains how you don't get new habits, you replace old habits with new ones. A key point I learned (so far as I'm only into chapter three) is that the old habits are still there.

Think of this like a river. Over years the banks of the river and the twist and turns are well defined. If you come along and throw up a dam to re-route the river the old river doesn't cease to exist. There just isn't any water in it. So if you decide to take away the dam, it's very easy for the water to go right back into the old pathway of the river. Think of how hard it was to build the dam, and re-route the river, and think of how easy it would be to have the water to return to its old river path. This is why we have to be very careful when we decide to have "just one" of something. That can be the crack in the dam that starts the whole negative ball in motion. When this happens, we need to look at what is triggering us, and eliminate the trigger, or come up with another solution.

I'm not sure who or why, but I started going to Walmart on Friday nights. I live alone, and I guess I figure most people are out starting the weekend, and it would be less crowded. This is a Walmart with groceries, and they have a decent selection so I often go there to stock up so I'm ready for my Sunday night "cook a bunch of stuff for the week" routine. There is a Chipotle and a Dairy Queen right in front of Walmart.

One week I had a good week, and my weight was going down. I decided that Chipotle was a better bad choice, and went in and had my chicken tacos with lettuce, cheese, and mild salsa. I had a coke. Stike one for getting a coke. Then after the meal, the chicken always leaves me thirsty (probably due to the spices and salt content). Instead of getting a water, or even worse, a coke, one week I went to Dairy Queen and got an oreo cookie blizzard. The next day the scale didn't go up! WOW! What a positive reward. I started adding Chipotle and dairy queen to my weekly routine. The bad news is, the scale started going the wrong way. Also, the blizzards at Dair Queen started to inch into Chocolate Frosty's at Wendy's. The dam had broken and here I was back at my old habits.

In the past, I've chosen to go to a different store to avoid the whole situation. That's kind of a bite off your face to spite your nose situation. I wanted to look at what was the trigger? Was it Walmart and just seeing the Dairy Queen? Maybe. In The Power of Habit, the author mentions that Cinnabon locations in malls are typically not in the food court. Why? Because they want the smell to waft down the hall and entice you so that as soon as you SEE the store, you're already having a craving.

What is a healthier solution? There are a few. I could drink water, and after the Chipotle, drink more water to get the spices out of my mouth, or pop a breath mint. If the spices make me crave ice cream, then find a new solution.

The obvious option is to NOT go to Chipotle. I could eat a healthy meal at home (the whole point of chipotle is to not go grocery shopping hungry) and then go Grocery shopping.

The 25 Days Method

There is a set of eating plans (high protein, low carb - what a shock).

Why I like this idea is you focus on your next meal. Pick your protein, pick your vegetable (or carb). Drink a glass of water. Do it right, and you give yourself 100%. You do this for all your meals and also for your workout, and you score yourself. If you can get 85% or better for the day, you're headed in the right direction. Obviously, 100% is better, but we all know life happens and you can't be perfect all the time. I LOVE the focus on your next meal.

Then you start to need something to keep track of things.

On odd days (what he calls Primary Days) you each three meals, and two snacks (one snack after breakfast and lunch).

On even days you get one snack after lunch.

The timing is you are supposed to wait three hours after every meal to have a snack and wait two hours after a snack to have a meal. He keeps telling you how simple it is, and to a point some of it is. The deeper you go, the more you need a tracking sheet. As I listened to this book through hoopla (a service tied to your library to allow you to check out audio and books) I don't have access to a PDF resource listed in the book. I even went to the publisher's website listed in the book (where you provide a password for a pdf). The pdf is not listed (BOO!).

As an audiobook, this book gets boring as about 50% of the book is him either explaining how the 25 days plans is the best plan, etc. Then he reads a bunch of recipes, and that is followed by someone describing exercises.

Drew Logan breaks it down into three steps

Disrupt Existing Behaviours

Simple Repetition

Make sure you have cues to trigger the positive action.

Taking a Cue From Alcoholics Annonymous

Alcoholics replace their habit of drinking by replacing it with a healthier habit. If they were going to a bar for friendship and to battle loneliness, they now get that from their sponsor. If they were drinking to forget or to cope with something that was bothering them, they now can get help through therapy. Those needs for friendship, or coping with trauma don't go away. They just find a healthier solution.

If I were to sit on a couch and talk to a therapist I would probably say I still have not finished the grieving process from my mother's death when I was 24. I became a bit of a workaholic as I realized that we only have so much time on the planet. I want to leave a legacy, and when I feel I'm not making an impact, I stress out a bit. As more of my family members die (I lost a cousin this week due to a motorcycle accident), my mortality smack me in the face. It's kind of stupid, If I think about the death of my older brother (who is healthy as a horse) I stress out. It's stupid as I'm worrying about things I have no control over. I say this to give you the idea of the things that add stress to our lives that in the end there are probably healthier ways to deal with them than running to the fridge.

What Motivated Me This Week

I spoke at an event a month ago, and I saw some video from the event. I have a classic "Dad Bod." I refuse to let this happen. I am going to be the exception NOT the rule. So I've printed these images out and put them on my fridge. A reminder of what snacking, etc, leads to. I also have one in my car. I'm not looking for a six pack. I just don't want to look like I'm smuggling watermelon under my shirt.

I will be speaking at an event in February 2018. My birthday falls on the day of the event. I want to hit my goal weight by my birthday. To do this, I need to lose 1.2 lbs a week. Not a super hard goal (.18 lbs per day), but something I will need to focus on. To help me see if I'm on track, I made a worksheet in Google Sheets (you can use Microsoft Excel) to show if I'm ahead or behind schedule. I even added a chart.

In the Logical Losers Weight Loss Club, I show you how to create these spreadsheet (even if you don't know spreadsheets). You can have access to the Logical Losers Patreon/Facebook group for as little as $1 a month. Go to www.logicallosers.com

Logical Weight Loss listeners "Get 25% off their first purchase + free shipping + free 30 day trial!" Keep in mind that their prices are already 25- 50% below retail because they cut out the middleman. And now we're offering an extra 25% off their first purchase! Go to thrivemarket.com/LWL

There may be people who had parents who may have cooked when they grew up, they left home and get most of their food from a drive in window, or a cardboard box, or a microwave oven. For the person who knows they should cook more, but have zero in the kitchen to start home cooking, what are some of the tools they will need?

What expectations should you set?

What are the top hurdles people need to get over to be confident in the kitchen?

Do you have a favorite thing to cook?

What kind of planning does Roger do for the week?

Common mistakes that people make when cooking, and how to have a smooth cooking experience.

Cool Tools You Might Need To Get Started in the Kitchen

A good knife can save you time and be safer (cutting things with a dull knife and lead to applying too much pressure and the knife slipping and causing injuries). Wüsthof knives are good and to stop over-cooking chicken breasts, a cooking thermometer can help. The Thermo Pro cooking thermometer has all sorts of built in temperatures for different meats (that you can over ride) or use it as a timer. Great for grills, or ovens as you stick the sensor in the meat and the long cable allows you to have the display outside. $20

When you first get started you may not need a food processor, but every time I use my ninja express chopper it saves me a ton of time (again, you don't need this, but after some time you may want to invest $20 in a ninja chopper, or at my grocery store they now offer onions and other items pre cut.

I like the looks of this wireless units for around $20.00

I bought a cheap one at Walmart, and it didn't work as expected. I did chicken on a gas grill. As the probe was sticking out the chicken, it seemed to get the temperature of the grill mixed in with the temperature of the chicken.

I'll be sharing a video of this in the LogicalLosers.com private Facebook group. 

You Don't Age Most of the Time - You Age a Little Every Day

So I thought about my year when I lost weight, and I thought about the number of times I ate fast food. I would say less than once a month, and if I did skipped the fries and the coke and got a chicken sandwich with water. Now I probably get fast food twice a month, and it's the whole nine years.

I've said it before when you do the wrong thing you are practicing at it. This practice started with getting an egg McMuffin with water. That lead to getting an Egg McMuffin with hash browns (and I'm not sure why as their hash browns are basically a deep-fried grease sponge). That lead to getting a coke with the meal. Each time, it was a baby step. When I first did this, it didn't affect my weight, but it nudged me in the wrong direction.

Are You Lying to Yourself?

I was still getting my 10,000 steps in, and sure that is exercise but I wasn't breaking a sweat.

Decay or Grow Old

I just listened to Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy—Until You're 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Henry S Lodge. Chris is in his 70's and beings all sorts of real life examples, and Henry is the doctor who brings the science. They say your body is going to do one of two things on a daily basis. It's going to Decay, or it will receive information from the brain and body to grow new nerves, tissues, and rejuvenate the body. What makes it go into decay? Sitting on your butt. The only reason a man would sit on his butt thousands of years ago was if there was a ton of food, (or no food to hunt) and the idea was there was probably going into a famine. So you sit and you decay. If you had to go hunt, you got up and move around, your body actually uses up some of its resources and the brain triggers the body to grow new resources. So how do you trigger the body to think you're off to kill a saber tooth tiger? By exercising 6 days a week, and doing weight training three days a week. This will take approximately an hour a day.

When I first heard this idea I was like, "Well that ain't going to happen." I truly do not like weight lifting. I've tried some things. I like the app " 7" which walks you through a seven-minute workout using just your body weight. I know I work during the day and do podcast consulting during the evening. That leaves early morning, or I could put me first, and schedule consulting around my schedule.

It's Time to be Selfish

So many parents put their kids first and themselves last. You need to change your thinking on this. If you put yourself first by exercising, eating right, you are going to be around longer for your kids, so by putting yourself first, YOU ARE putting your kids first.

Maling it In

For me, I'm going to baby step this, and instead of starting off with six days of exercise (three of which contained weight lifting) I'm going to start with three days of exercising (more on that in a minute) and one day of strength training. I've actually put it on my calendar.

The other thing that was different between me this year vs last year. Last year I would exercise (get 10,000 steps but part of those would be working up a sweat). This year I'm getting 10,000 steps in walking around the neighborhood. Now for some of you walking around the neighborhood would make you sweat. That's the point. I quit sweating.

What is One Thing?

Last week I talked about getting swept up by the tide and taken the wrong way. Don't get overwhelmed about how far off you are, instead think of one thing you can do to start swimming in the right direction.

Garden of Life Chocolate Raw Fit Protein Powder - Review

So I just completed my first order from Thrive Market. I purchased the Garden of Life Chocolate Raw Fit Protein Powder. Here are some of the details:

• High Protein for Weight Loss† (28g Complete Plant Protein)
• Organic Svetol® Green Coffee Bean Extract and Organic Ashwagandha
• Burns Fat, Satisfies Hunger and Helps to Fight Cravings†
• Less than 1 gram of Sugar
• Certified USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Vegan, NSF Certified Gluten Free, Informed Choice Certified (Trusted by Sport), Kosher Certified, Dairy Free, Soy Free
• Featuring Clean Organic Plant Protein from Organic Peas and Sprouted Organic Grains, Seeds and Legumes
• Boost energy and build lean muscle mass – Use pre- or post-workout
• Satisfy hunger, and stay full longer with Organic Whole Food Fiber
• Contains Svetol Green Coffee Bean Extract to burn fat naturally and maintain healthy blood sugar and Organic Ashwagandha to support cortisol levels and manage stress-related cravings

It was $13 cheaper at Thrive Market. ($24 with my 25% discount, and free shipping instead of $38). 

I think part of the problem with the word Chocolate is we are used to candy bars which have so much sugar so that when we get a healthier version of Chocolate that isn't as sweet, we kind of get a letdown. I did like more than other products Shakeology by Beachbody which is $5/serving. This clocked in around $2.50 per serving (where a Frappuccino clocks in around $2). So yes, Starbucks might be cheaper, but it has 58g (15 teaspoons) of sugar in it (and that's without the whipped cream).

In general, I like that is definitely drinkable (but doesn't have me saying "YUM, GIVE ME ANOTHER) and it doesn't have any weird aftertaste and mix well so I wasn't drinking chalk.

Get 25% off your first purchase + free shipping + free 30-day trial!" Keep in mind that our prices are already 25- 50% below retail because we cut out the middleman. And now they're offering an extra 25% off their first purchase! Go to thrivemarket.com/LWL

Become a Logical Loser (PATRON)

See www.logicallosers.com

I was using the free trial of Beeminder. I use a wi-things scale, and I love that when I wake up and weigh in I can see if I'm on track to meet my goals (via wi-fi it logs my weight).

So I had a friend of mine who had a death in the family. As always when there is an event in people's lives we meet together with food. So I helped my friend for about a week and sure enough skidded right off the track. Using Beeminder, I was able (in fact I was notified) that I was off track. If had pledged any money (for an incentive, I would lose the money). While I hate their graph (it's got WAY To much information, I do like that I can see if I'm on track to meet my goal and adjust accordingly.

This article explains how it work more in depth

Avoiding the Rip Tide

I was reading the book Living Forward by Michael Hyatt (technically I was listening to it via Audible) and he shared the story about a surfer who wasn't paying attention and got sucked into a rip tide which takes you out to sea (this can be very dangerous with 60-100 people dying a year from rip tides).

The point is the person wasn't paying attention. Then when you figured out you have a problem, you try to take the shorter route in (which unfortunately can send you against the tide which is a battle you will lose). The solution is to swim across the tide, until you are out of it, then steer toward the shore.

I have two apps that give me grades beeminder and nutritionix both give me clear symbols that let me know when I'm headed in the wrong direction. When I see my weight going in the wrong direction, I can look back at the days when I lose weight, look at the food entries around those days and repeat them.

If we aren't paying attention, we can get caught in many of Life's Rip Tides and be taken into the sea of obesity.

Battle of the Green Goo: Organifi vis Zuma Juice Vs Purley Inspired

Organifi (See label)
http://amzn.to/2w3GyI3
$70/30 servings = $2.33 a glass ($60 if you subscribe)

I've watched a ton of movies on Netflix in preparation for this episode.

Cowspiracy - which explains how much resources it takes to create a cow (acres of land, gallons of water)

What the Health - Which shows the benefits of eating a plant based diet (both of these movies are done by the same team).

Overfed and Undernourished - Examines a global epidemic and our modern lifestyles through one boy's inspiring and personal journey to regain his health from the inside out. After heartache, Liam Gollé weighing in at over 176lbs turns to his Aunty & Uncle for help, and embarks on a journey that promises to transform his life forever.

Vegucated - A movie that shows a few people from different walks of life who attempt to go Vegan for a week. It also has some pretty brutal video of slaughter houses.

All These Health Organizations Are on the Take

This movie shows how agencies:

The American Diabetes Association -  was taking money from Dannon who make Yogurt, Kraft Cheese, Oscar Meyer Processed meats, Bumblebee Foods (all of which contribute to Diabetes), even though American Heart Association

The American Cancer Society - was taking money from Tyson (one the world's largest meat producers), Yum! (owners of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell)

Susan B Komen Breast Cancer - Partners with KFC, and Yoplait Yogurt (Studies show Yogurt leads to Breast Cancer according to the movie)

The American Heart Association - Takes hundreds of thousands of dollars from meat, poultry, and dairy industry. Taking millions of dollars from the Fast Food and processed food manufacturers

Every one of these companies is taking money from meat and dairy companies that make food that are associated with cause of these diseases

This would be like the American Lung Association taking money from the Tobacco industry. There is an obvious conflict of interest. When these organizations put out reports, we need to realize who really paid for those reports.

Conspiracy Was Almost Shut Down

In the movie, you hear how the financial backing pulls out of the movie (for fear of retaliation from the Meat industry?). Obviously, the movie was made. It did a great job of making me a skeptic so I sent an email to the makers of the film who replied back quickly and pointed me to their crowd sourcing campaign that showed how they raised $117,092

They actually raised their goal in six days and ended up with 217% of their goal.

The Whole "Planet Thing"

I'm not a hippie. I've never hugged a tree, but the math is simple. The population is growing at an alarming pace. The countries that have the most rapid growth are trying to eat more like Americans (meat and dairy), and if we all are like Americans, we would need five four more earths. There simply isn't enough space to grow the feed, to raise the cows, and to dispose of the monstrous amount of poop. So I'm might recycle if it's offered, but that is about as far as I go typically.

Hard To Argue with Proof

These movies have me seriously considering eating less meat. While I would love to say it's to save the planet, but the truth is when I see someone (in What the Health) who can barely walk using a walker and later after just switching her diet be walking down the street - that's hard to argue with. Another example in the movie had someone who was wheezing when she spoke. She had problems breathing. This was remedied in a very short time and both of them through buckets of pills in the trash

But What About Cavemen?

I hear alot about the Paleo Diet. Where we should eat meat wrapped in bacon, thrown on top of eggs. There are some places where you can't grow fruits and vegetables, so you gotta eat something to live.

A Targeted Plan of Action Seems Like Forever - But It's Not

In the movie Overfed and Undernourished we watch a young boy go to live with his Aunt and Uncle who get him off horrible food choices and on to (you guessed it) primarily plant based diet. At the beginning of the movie, he has man boobs (and I think he was 13). A few months later he's in much better condition. He almost quits a few times, but he sticks with it and in the end, the results are obvious. It took a while to find him, but his Facebook page seems to show he has kept it off. I can only imagine the pressure he is under.

So Where Do I Go From Here?

I'm going to attempt Meat Free Mondays (see https://www.meatfreemondays.com/) which has great recipes, etc. If I can do one day a week, then maybe I'll go two days a week (then three)

The biggest problem I see with all diets is we all shoot for perfection. As I speak right now I have a package of drumsticks, and a box of frozen burgers. I work too hard to throw food away. I know trying to go Vegetarian cold turkey is rough, but if I can do this over time, little by little, I can pull this off.

This means I'm going to have to try new things. I'm going to end up eating humis at some point. I'm going to be using my Air Fryer to cook Squash and Cauliflower instead of Chicken.

There are three types of vegetarians:

• Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat both dairy products and eggs; this is the most common type of vegetarian diet. 
• Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy products but avoid eggs. 
• Ovo-vegetarian. Eats eggs but not dairy products. 
• Vegans do not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other products which are derived from animals. - source

I can see me starting out as Lacto-ovo-vegetarians and going from there. It will take time, but I do see the undeniable health benefits (and will get into iron, and other things another day).

Join the Logical Losers

Join our private Facebook group for a judge free zone to network and share with other people trying to lose weight. Go to www.logicallosers.com

Their intro video look at first like someone is going to share ghost stories (there is no official beeminder channel only the channel of one of their creators). I get they did the best they could with whatever budget they had, but why does someone with a lapel mic sound like it was recorded in a bathroom (and putting music in the background doesn't make this point go away). Then they give you a ton of information on a graph that looks like you ate a mouthful of Skittles and then sneezed them on to a piece of paper. Here is a sample

To understand that graph, I need to look at the legend. They have a legend that helps you understand all the dots, dashes, etc, but holy cow what is up with the big 50 cent words like "Akrasia horizon" Sheesh. You need a legend for your legend. So my first impression was not a great one. However, after using it for a few days I think I'm getting the hang of it. You can have it remind you to update your goal. I'm using a withings scale which updates my fitbit which updates the app. By syncing it with m fitbit it brought in a lot of data points that I'm not sure were helpful. So in the end, I started off a little confused. 

They do let you try it for free, and if you "Drive off the road" there is no fee, but if you want to continue, you need some skin in the game.  Every time you miss your goal it raises the penalty. You can set a limit on how high it can go. 

I do like that it someone "gamifies" your goals, and it keeps you posted and can alert you when you're about to go off course. I just think its a little busy at this point, but what do you expect for free? It has potential, and my guess is going to be that they didn't see the boost of PACT users coming their way, and they get caught with their pants down a bit. 

Overall, this could be useful, but their graphs introduce a learning curve. 

Check it out at www.beeminder.com

Realistic Lifestyle Change - Tips

New study from Harvard with tips on achieving Lifestyle Change. Read the full story  

Join The Logical Losers Facebook Group

Our private Facebook groups gives you more information, and a safe environment to ask questions, get inspiration, and more. Check it out at www.logicallosers.com

Their Amazon listing states:

"THE SIMPLEST WAY TO START YOUR DAY HAPPY - Using the science of positive psychology to improve happiness, The Five Minute Journal focuses your attention on the good in your life. Improve your mental well-being and feel better every day.

COMPLAIN LESS, APPRECIATE MORE - The Five Minute Journal helps you cultivate gratitude. It changes how you feel, alters the actions you take, and therefore the results you will create...negativity be gone!

FINALLY KEEP A JOURNAL - With a simple structured format that takes just 5 minutes, The Five Minute Journal is simple, quick, and effective. Whatever your excuse for not keeping a journal is, this journal will eliminate them

So what is it?

The creators have been very open about it (so if you want to make your own, you can). You start off writing down three things you are grateful for. The idea is to start off your day with these thoughts. This gets you going in a positive direction. You also write down one affirmation, "I am _____."

You start off writing down three things you are grateful for. The idea is to start off your day with these thoughts. This gets you going in a positive direction. You also write down one affirmation, "I am _____."

Then at night, you enter three amazing things that happened today. Then lastly, you ask yourself how you could have made the day even better.

Each day has inspiring quotes, and there are weekly challenges.

The Power of Positivity

This journal is based on positive psychology research. That research shows using the journal leads to higher levels of positive emotion. You will have more joy, optimism, and happiness. You may feel less lonely, and isolated. You may find yourself acting more generously, and compassionately. You may also experience a boost in your immune system

https://youtu.be/xqOyXeR2jqY

Available as a Hard Cover

http://amzn.to/2tmGZ1N

Also available as an App

Get it on iOs also available on Android

The Strength to Change

Mel Robbins author the book the five-second rule did a cool Ted talk about the five-minute rule.  She mentions how your brain has two speeds: autopilot, and emergency brake. So when you start doing something that it's not used to, it loves to pull the emergency brake. Anything that is a break in your routine, is going to be something you have to force yourself to do. Most of our life is on autopilot. We eat the same things every day, drive the same route to work. Do the same things with the same people. No wonder we love autopilot. 

When you feel stuck, it may be that you haven't forced yourself to do anything new. You need to force yourself out of your head. You would not hang out with people who talk to you like you talk to yourself. 

You need to get outside of your comfort zone. 

When you see something you might do, you feel like doing something, but you sit back down. Why? Because your emergency brake was pulled. 

If have an impulse to do something new, if you don't stand up and takes steps, and marry it to action, your emergency brake will be pulled. Your problem isn't ideas, its that you don't act on them. 

So if you see someone and want to talk to them, marry that idea with action and walk over to them. 

Become a Logical Loser

Did you get value from this show? Go to www.logicallosers.com

What Standing Desk Did I Buy

I bought the Smart Desk 2 from Autonomous.ai and they start at $299, I went for the $399 model as it goes a little higher, and had a little bigger desktop. It took a few hours to put together (not too hard) and it works as expected. 

The Surprises

I needed a new desk as everytime I pulled out the drawers of the desk, they would fall apart. This desk has no drawers. No big deal, I'll just buy a small cabinet. I have a filing cabinet, I wanted more of a few things with doors to hide junk behind. I found this four shelf cabinet for $36

Then I noticed that when I raise my desk, my mouse almost fell off, and I almost pulled my monitor off the desk. I needed extension cables. So I got a USB extension cable for my Mouse for $6. and an extended VGA cable for my monitor

Then as my feet were killing me, I needed a standing pad for $60 some of these pads go up to $120 (that are easier to move around)

The videos of many standing desks show them with iMacs or Laptops. Neither one of these computers have cables. Keep this in mind.

He gained 18 lbs

HIs developed "Fatty Liver Disease"

He added 4 inches of visceral fat around his waste

Meanwhile, he was eating the SAME AMOUNT OF CALORIES then before he started experimenting. So it's NOT just calories in -calories out. It's what is making up your calories.

Also, sugar sends your brain on a high followed by a crash. So we will our kids full of cereal and fruit juice and send them off the school and wonder why they can't concentrate.

Check it out on Amazon 

You can get sugar free recipes at their website www.thatsugarfilm.com (if you're in Australia, there is also an app for your phone).

If you want to know how many teaspoons of sugar are in something, divide the number of grams by 4. So if something has 16 grams of sugar, that is four teaspoons.

It was an eye-opening movie, done in an educational and entertaining way.

Almost Caught My Kitchen on Fire

I spoke about how I bought an Air Fryer on a previous episode and I LOVED it. The last few times it started to smoke a bit. I always clean the part that you cook in and wipe down the bottom on the inside. Well, after setting off the smoke alarms in my apartment, I busted out the manual and I see where I need to wipe down the whole thing on the inside (which means you have to let it cool down, which means its kind of a pain in the butt). So if you get one, keep it clean. 

This is So Dumb, and Yet so Cool - A Baby Ice Machine

 know you can buy 2 ice cube trays for $6 on Amazon. So when you start talking about spending $90-$159 for a baby refrigerator that just makes ice, that is a lot of ice cube trays. I bought mine at Walmart and I'm not sure why (cause breaking ice out of trays was not that tough) but I love it. I fill it up with water in the morning and I have cubes the rest of the day. I like my water cold, so this has been great.  

But there was a problem

My water bottle was a sweaty mess. My cork coaster was soaked through. Solution? a cup within a cup. You can get a set of Six for $22. This is awesome. The water stays super cold, and I don't have a single drop of sweat on the outside of my cup. So I don't have to worry about soaking my coaster (I still use one just in case). 

The end result is I'm drinking a ton of super cold water on some super hot summer days here in Ohio. 

Check out the Igloo Portable Ice Macker

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So Why Do I Get Fat?

Gary Taubes wrote this book for doctors I believe, but in a nutshell, when we each these items our blood sugar goes up. This then makes our Insulin go up. The release of fatty acids from fat cells, "Requires only the negative stimulus of insulin deficiency" - Rosalyn Yalow, Solomon Merson, 1965 

Her explains this in this video (which is more or less the book in 56 minutes)

He Does Mention the GI

The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly food raises our blood sugar. And the scale of the glycemic index goes from 0 all the way up to 100.
Foods with a higher glycemic index are more readily absorbed in our body and raise our blood sugar more. A lower glycemic index doesn't affect our blood sugar as much.
The glycemic index is an imperfect system because everyone's body responds a little bit different. It also doesn't consider how much food we eat. But it is overall a useful tool to help keep our blood sugar steady and eating more nutritious foods.
Foods that have a low glycemic index typically have more fiber and less sugar, but it's important to know that low glycemic index food doesn't necessarily mean that it's healthy. After all, lard has a very low glycemic index.

According to Web MD

The smaller the number, the less impact the food has on your blood sugar.

55 or less = Low (good)
56- 69 = Medium
70 or higher = High (bad)

Here is a list of resources that list foods and their GI

Rated by FI from Harvard

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/glycemicindlist.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/glycemic-index-food-list/

http://www.lifetimefatloss.com/glycemic-index-list-of-foods.html

Red Rock Apps: Running For Weight Loss App

What is it: A unique program of interval training especially for weight loss. A ready-made 2-month training plan with 3 workout days a week.

Good: Easy to use, tracks weight, water (and prompts you to drink more), keeps your stats of your exercising, and ties in with Fitbit.

Cons: EVERY TIME you touch this app you are prompted to update to their paid ($10/month) plan. So bring your patience. When the voice tells you that you are half way, when the announcement is over, the music does not return to its regular volume (in my case Spotify).

Conclusion: I can handle press the X every five minutes. It's easy to use, and when I leave the gym I'm sweating. I'm keeping it for now and considering upgrading to their pro plan.

How Do I Cancel a Subscription on an Apple Device?

I recently wanted to cancel a subscription for one app I was using, and once you know where to look it is not that hard. For me, I started looking at my account on iTunes, and that is the wrong place. Here is how you cancel an Apple subscription:

1. Access Settings in the home of your device;
2. Scroll down and tap iTunes Store and AppStore;
3. Tap your e-mail and Apple ID, View Apple ID and enter your password;
4. Now, tap Subscription - Manage and select PlayKids;
5. Turn off the auto-renewal option and tap Done.

Sometimes when we think about how far we need to go, it can be overwhelming. Here are some visual tools that you can use to keep you motivated

Two Jars: One marked pounds to go, and the other marked pounds destroyed

Clothes Pins and String - the Same concept with one pin representing a pound. Two strings labeled pounds to go and pounds destroyed.

Monthly Calendar: At the end of each month, write down how much weight you lose.

Tip Jar: You can tip yourself money for things you do correctly or milestones such as:
$10 for every pound lost
$1 for every workout that had you feeling both so good, and so tired (you know what I'm talking about)
.50 for trying a healthy recipe
$1 for preparing food in advance
$1 for a new activity or workout
$2 for healthy choices when out with friends
.5o for bringing a workout friend with you
.50 for working out when you really didn't' want to or the weather was bad, etc.

Journal

By writing down your thoughts it can release stress, and you can see where you started, and how far you've come and often spot things that might've trigger negative activity. I love Penzu.com

Nutrionix Lets You Track Food Fast, and Even With Voice Command

How would you like to tell Alex what you had for breakfast and have her log your food. The way you do this is through Nutritionix. The app is free and hosts a HUGE database of foods restaurants, and you can even add your own food (or combinations of food if you eat certain foods together). The app alone makes it super easy to enter the food you are eating and give you a total of the calories, and a glimpse into the nutrition. You can put in your goal for calories and it turns red or green depending on your current stats.

When you enable the Nutritionix skill, I can simply say,

Alexa, tell food tracker to log a glass of milk and she will add it to your Nutritionix. I tried it and sure enough, there was my glass of milk in my account. I haven't tested it much since then as I just found it, but this could make tracking your food intake super easy. 

If you just want to use it for advice, you can ask, "Ask food tracker how many calories are in 2 eggs and 3 slices of bacon" or  "Ask food tracker How many carbs are in a 3 oz of pizza"

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But the share of these adults who had gone on a diet dropped during the same period, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

Basically Fat is the new normal. If we are all fat, we don't stand out. If we mention to someone that their size is unhealthy we are no "Fat Shaming."

In a nutshell, Americans are giving up hope. When you lose hope, you die. Why do I say this?

In the 1950s, they did a  brutal experiment drowning rats. It was done by a Johns Hopkins professor Curt Richter. The experiment included domesticated and wild rats. He first took a dozen domesticated rats, put them into jars half filled with water, and watched them drown. The idea was to measure the amount of time they swam before they gave up and went under. The first rat, Richter noted, swam around excitedly on the surface for a very short time, then dove to the bottom, where it began to swim around, nosing its way along the glass wall. It died two minutes later.

Two more of the 12 domesticated rats died in much the same way. But, interestingly, the nine remaining rats did not succumb nearly so readily; they swam for days before they eventually gave up and died.

Now came the wild rats, renowned for their swimming ability. The ones Richter used had been recently trapped and were fierce and aggressive. One by one, he dropped them into the water. And one by one, they surprised him: Within minutes of entering the water, all 34 died

Richter then tweaked the experiment: He took other, similar rats, and put them in the jar. Just before they were expected to die, however, he picked them up, held them a little while, and then put them back in the water. “In this way,” he wrote, “the rats quickly learn that the situation is not actually hopeless.”

After elimination of hopelessness,” wrote Richter, “the rats do not die.”

Full Article

Here is a Great Article in Find Hope When There is None

In the article, it points out

Consider all the amazing things you have done. All the hardships you've worked through

Surround yourself with optimism

Allow inspiration in (read a book, listen to music)

Spend time in Nature it's remarkable, and so are you.

Be courageous: Cultivating hope requires courage to take that first step forward. Give yourself the chance to find your way through your challenges. Take that first step and then the next. You will soon be on the other side and ready to tackle your next challenge.

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This app saves the day in some cases when your two apps don't talk to each other

http://syncsolver.com/

Fitbit to health, Health to CSV. Health to Fitbit, and many combinations of all of the above. Here is a video. 

Women Are Drinking More

Binge drinking (defined as imbibing four or more drinks within two hours) increased by 3.7% annually among older women, but held steady among older men.

• In a single decade — from 2002 to 2012 — the proportion of women who drank rose from 44.9% to 48.3%, while the proportion of male drinkers fell from 57.4% to 56.1%.
• A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2011 and 2013 indicated that 53.6% of women ages 18 to 44 were drinking, and 18.2% were binge drinking. The CDC followed up with an alert that three million US women were at risk of increasing the likelihood of sudden infant death syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
• According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the gender gap has closed among teens, with about 20% of 17-year-olds drinking regularly and 13% binge drinking.

See Full Story

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World

The author of this book did a commencement speech and he points out how doing the little things can help you with a better attitude, but he also points out that life is not always fair. You can get a glimpse of this book in this commencement speech https://youtu.be/pxBQLFLei70

He points out that you are going to fail, and fail often, but if you don't quit you still have a chance of winning. 

Why I Was Gaining Weight

For me, weight loss is about food. Control your food, and you control your weight. Well, I used to plan out my meals ahead of time and as I mentioned last week, even if everything in your house is "healthy" you can still eat too much. Well, I use the Fitbit app. I'm also playing with the fooducate app. Both of these allow you to put in your food and your activity. The Fitbit takes in the steps you have for the day, and adds up the calories burned. This is good and bad.

The good thing is it's easy. It happens automatically.

The bad news is now if you have more than usual steps it shows you that you can eat more calories (and I was). 

If the calories it says you are burning is inaccurate, then you have a problem. 

So Im taking the extra step to go in and look at the number of calories IN, instead of the net calories (calories in and then subtract a number of calories burned). 

From the Mailbag

From Laura:

Dave
I love your podcast!
I look forward to it very week. Keep up the great work. Stay honest. Stay true to yourself.
You are such an inspiration for me.

My current struggle is trying to cut out the C-R-A-P that has found its way back into my daily life.
I lost 50 pounds (from 200-yikes! down to a sleek150-size 8)
by cutting out all the processed, nutrition-less, Franken foods.

Yep just like you, I was focused on hydration, real food (mainly meat & vegetables), sleep and fitness.
I lost weight by having as many four-star days as possible. It took 9 months but I’ve kept it off since 2011.

Well almost. Truthfully, I’m bouncing around 157 now. I’m writing you because I’ve got to nip this in the bud. I look good. I feel good. I can still wear the same clothes, but everything is just a little too snug.

I’m reeling it in right here, right now. No cheats. No slips. No skipping exercise. For 30 days.
30 consecutive 4-star days should get me back down to 150 pounds and back on track to a lifetime of clean eating.

Come on Dave – we can do this!!

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1. If you buy cookies, you eat cookies

2. Almonds are not filling, and when you cover them in chocolate, smoke flavoring, etc they might as well be called CANDY. 

3. I'm not drinking as much water

4. I'm not exercising as much

5. I got sick, and just was drained. 

6. I quit taking supplements as they cost me hundreds of dollars a month

So I'm back to being as normal as I'm gonna get at this point. I now have a new fight. Losing weight without supplements. 

This is what we hear about Air Fryers:

• Less chance of a grease fire with no grease
• Less chance of getting burned by popping grease when there is no grease
• Much less clean up, and no worries about dumping old grease.
• Air fryers produce food that has the same crispy outside that standard fryers produce, without the unhealthy additives.
•  Air fryers can reduce up to eighty percent of the fat content of foods typically cooked in hot oil.

So after getting sucked into the Power Air Fryer XL Informercial, I went and bought one. There isn't much to it, and I through 8 chicken thighs into the basket, put on some seasonings, 20 minutes later, presto out popped crispy fried chicken that tasted awesome. There is also a deluxe version that comes with a Baking insert, Pizza Pan, and Cooking Tongs. 

In a nutshell, it a conventional oven with a built-in fan that allows your to Roast, Air Fry, Bake, Steam, Sauté, and Grill your favorite food. There is an exhaust fan, so it will not heat up your house as much as a traditional oven (and it only takes 3 minutes to warm up) but it does send hot out the back (and sucks new air in the front).

The cleanup was beyond easy (I love it when non-stick stuff comes out and there is nothing stuck to it. I bought a new Foreman grill to it, and grill it's never really been nonstick. Easy to clean, sure, but nonstick, um, yeah, no. 

I do appreciate the removal of grease popping and landing on me. As a child (five years old) my sister was cooking bacon, and accidentally hit the handle on the pan, and an entire pan of hot bacon grease landed on my leg leaving me with giant scar for many years. To this day, I'm still a little squeamish around hot grease. Now that worry is gone. 

Things to Watch Out For

There is a piece of cardboard in the bottom pan, and while I got off all the tape and wrapping, I missed that one. 

There is a lot of documentation about this. The inner bucket is controlled by a button. If you click that button the bottom pan (potentially full of hot grease) is released from the top bucket. So if you do not have this sitting on something, when you click that button you could drop the hot pan and end up throwing hot grease everywhere. Read the directions as these items get hot. Have an oven mitt around to handle this stuff.

If You're Getting It To Eat Healthy Remember This About Air Fryers

Pie is still pie, and doughnuts are still doughnuts. Likewise, fries are still giant mounds of carbs with or without fries (but I do plan on making some sweet potato fries in this thing)

Just because it uses less or no oil, it's not a miracle worker. It does not turn cupcakes into super food. 

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Today I talk about how I went to purchased a 2 Quart Slow Cooker ($8) and was amazed at how much SALT is in the "ready made" seasoning mixes for slow cookers. So I decided to make my own. I purchased some stew meat, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and some no sodium beef broth (that still have 79 mg of salt). I browned the meat, and through everything together and went to visit my brother. I came home and everything was done, but it was pretty bland. The good new is I could add salt to taste instead of having 900 mg of salt that I didn't ask for. 

It turns out that 2000 mg of salt is a teaspoon. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend an upper limit for sodium consumption of 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day for adults. If you are African American, age 51 or older or have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic disease, that recommendation is lowered to 1,500 milligrams per day.

The good news is I tried something new. I learned some insights, and thanks to the internet I'm sure there are plenty of health slow cooker recipes for me to try me to try. I do love set it and forget it cooking (with very little clean up as well). 

Probiotics - Do We Need These?

My answer is I don't know. I get that your "Gut" has enzymes that help keep us healthy, and some of our food kills the good enzymes. In looking at some Probiotic Complex, there was a video that states that a study in england more or less dismissed them as necessary unless you have diarrhea or have IBS.

Fooducate - Not Only Says a Food is Bad, but WHY

I've used other apps to help share some insights into what foods are good and which ones are bad, but they were totally free. I am always worried they are being paid by companies to spotlight their food as a healthy choice. Fooducate has additional "pro" versions so you don't have to about that (their prices are very reasonable for bonus features, and their free features are great).

I love that they tell you why something is getting a less than steller grade. I love in some cases, they throw in some good old honest SNARKINESS. It's pretty entertaining. 

One of my favorite features is you can log your food (including the ability to scan a bar code - I love that) your water, sleep, and activity and it gives you a grade for the day.

I would love to see it integrate with fitbit so I wouldn't have to log my information twice. 

Check it at out at fooducate.com (available for both iOs and Android). The food tracking is only in the app, you can do food lookup on their website. 

FROM THE EMAIL BAG

You mentioned how “instant oatmeal” is not the same as it was ten years ago. I like oatmeal, and eat it most weekdays. I make it in a small “Crock Pot” that is intended for things like dip, fondue, etc. I think it’s called the “Little Dipper” ($14.95)– capacity of 16 oz. I use McCann’s Steel Cut Oats, put in a 1/4 cup, and then add 10 oz of water. Plug it in when I go to bed, and in the morning it is perfectly done. Stir, add a little milk, or whatever you prefer as “milk” and you are ready! I also drink OJ in the morning, but I “cut it” 50/50 with non-sodium seltzer. BTW, the McCann’s comes in a can and retails for about 5.99 for 20 servings, so it’s economical too. -Carol

I've been enjoying the podcast for quite some time now. Thanks for keeping at it!  And congratulations on your 30lb loss last year. That's awesome!

Weight Loss Challenges - Websites and Resources

I haven't talked about this in a while, and I went and look at and some of the resources of the past have gone away (well, that's the internet, and it's also hard to stay in business when you charge 0.00) Here are a couple that seem up to date My Weight Loss Challenge Spreadsheet. If you just need a spreadsheet where all the math is done for you, here it is.

Diet Bet

Dietbet.com is one of the top sites. It allows you to have teams, and they have kickstarters (4% weight loss), Challenges (for most % of body weight), and they have bets for those who want to maintain. Check it out at dietbet.com

Heathwage

Healthwage has got a lot of press coverage that just pays you to lose weight. You put in how much you want to lose, how long you want to lost it, and it calculates a prize. For me I told it I wanted to lose 15 pounds of 6 months. It said I would need to lose 20 and I would earn $133 (I would have put in 120 which is 11% return). I am at a weight that I don't think I could get that low. (I lost 30 lbs last year).

Meltodwn Challenge

I really liked this one, and started  challenge. IT STARTS TODAY so get in on this now! This has an app, and you can easily setup a group, or if you want have it go to charity, or have some of it go to the person running it (which we did in my case to pay for it).

Stickk

Stickk.com is an interesting twist meant for ANY resolution. You pick a referee to keep you accountable. You can earn money, or motivate yourself by having your money go to something you hate. Check it out at stickk.com

Thintopia and Fatbet

Both of these sites are still around. They help people login and track their weight and you see the progress. With Dietbet, Healthwage, and Stickk, there is some sort of anti-cheat involved (videos, pictures, etc) These two sites (both free) operate on the honor system. Fatbet is at fatbet.net and Thintopia is Thintopia.com

Join the Challenge Today

Well you could shame yourself to death, make yourself feel bad, which will lead to you making yourself feel better with FOOD.

Or,

You can realize your human, go cook yourself some better food and get back on track. 

The road to weight loss seldom a straight line, and by that I mean its never a straight line. 

Get back on the horse and do the right thing.

Protein Bar Break Comparison

I compared the Power bar (38), Met RX (41) Pure Protein (44) and Cliff Bar (61). The biggest problem with the lower ranked bars was the addition of saturated fat and sugar. The scoring was via the Shop Well App. 

They recommend the Quest Bar line who has interesting flavors like Peanut Butter Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and variety packs

Your body only has so much time during the day to burn calories.

Alcohol is empty calories, and basically get burned first. Then when you run out of time, you still have all these other calories waiting to get burned, but the alcohol cut in line.

Alcohol often leads to you not caring anymore, and you make bad choices. 

Oh Yeah, alcohol isn't good for you and damages your liver, etc.

Alcohol increase appetite

Risky Drinking

I watched Risky drinking and it really shows you how

Drinking leads to feeling bad.

It leads to bad decisions like...

Drink more to help get over the fact that you went drinking last night. 

The Risky Drinking Documentary even points out that at one point your brain gets re-programmed and your reward center is dysfunctional, your stress function goes into overdrive, and your logical "good decisions" part of the brain is busted. At this point you are doomed. 

Check out the documentary at https://youtu.be/fG2o0I8amvY

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The Top Tools I Use

I took at look at new habits and tools that I started using in 2016, and - more importantly - that I am still using. Here they are.

Power Pressure Cooker XL
Each Sunday I use my Power Pressure Cooker XL. Its the first thing that I purchased in 2016 that I got completely sucked into their infomercial. I throw in a bunch of chicken and 20 minutes later I pack it up.  It's the best $99 I've ever spent. It's so popular, that people are now writing Power Pressure cookbooks for it with 123 recipes ($9).

Ninja Blender Pro

I use me Ninja Blender Pro  to make smoothies, and mix protein shakes all the time ($59). So with the Power Pressure Cooker, I 've got lunch covered. With the Ninja Blender Pro I've got my breakfast covered.

Storage Containers

I got a set of Spin and Swirl storage containers that are on a carousel so it takes up half the room in your cupboard. I've had these for years. I know the reviews on Amazon say they are cheap, but I've never had an issue with mine. There are plenty of storage containers that go from the microwave to the dishwasher, etc

When you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done. -Thomas Jefferson

This is true for EVERYTHING. The bad news is it is "Weight Loss Season" where every other commercial is someone telling you that YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE. You can still eat PIZZA, ICE CREAM, CHOCOLATE, SODA, and you will lose weight. You don't have to exercise!

FOR JUST THREE EASY PAYMENTS OF.....

Please don't fall for this stuff again.

The low fat, no fat, low carb, no carg, glutten free, dairy free, etc diet. 

Eat Less (no food should come through your car window)

Exercise More (and realize in the battle of food vs exercise - IT's THE FOOD)

Drink Water (it is so, so, so very good for you and has zero calories)

Sleep More (cause when you stay up, you end up eating junk, and your body needs sleep)

MORE QUOTES TO INSPIRE

The distance between dreams and reality is called action -Anonymous

Don’t wait until you are ready to take action. Instead take action to be ready. -Jensen Siaw

Don’t talk, just act. Don’t Say, just show. Don’t promise just prove. -Unknown

Winners are not people who never fail, but people who never quit. -Edwin Louis Cole

An inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention. – Dr. Steve Marraboli

The best way to get started is to quit talking & begin doing – Walt Disney

Water Bottles are Getting Smarter

A while ago I tried a Hyrdocoach Water bottle. It measured how much water you drank in a 24 hour period. It was cool, but the mechanism to measure the water was in the straw which made sucking through it kind of tough. It retails for around $26 H20Pal The H20Pal is more expensive, but also smarter. There is no fancy straw now. The device fits on the bottom of a water bottle (included) and measures how much water you drink based on the weight of the bottle and sends that information to an app that can remind you to drink more water. It even works with the Amazon Echo and Dot  The water also syncs with your Fitbit app. It also works with the Apple watch. Currently it does not work on Android, but they are working on an App. Hydrate Spark HidrateSpark is a smart water bottle that syncs with a corresponding mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. HidrateSpark helps you keep track of water intake and improve hydration habits. Embedded with LED lights, the bottle gives off an ambient glow to remind you to never forget to drink your water again. The HidrateSpark app calculates your recommended daily amount based on your gender, age, weight, and height. The app also syncs to your favorite wearables and fitness apps to adjust your water goals to fit your activity level. Lastly, it takes into consideration your location to adjust your daily water goal based on your surroundings such as the temperature, humidity, and elevation. Check it out at http://hidratespark.com/ $59. The things I like about this one is:

1. Fits in a stand cupholder in your car
2. Has both an Ios and Android app (H2OPal is iOs only)
3. Less Expensive
4. More colors to choose from

Moikit Cuptime 2 This is another bottle with a sensor on the bottom to measure the weight of your beverage. it also tells you the temperature of the beverage. This one is rechargable (where the Spark, and Pal use watch batteries that last a few months, and can be changed to keep on going). This comes with a charging station (great for being "the work cup"). It has a display on the cup as well as an app and it also syncs with Fitbit. The Cuptime 2 goes for around $80 Sippo  Sippo is "more of the same" with both and android and iOs app. Their app has more of a social feel where you can share with friends and family and compete. Sippo goes for $69

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Ways to increase Sleep

MOrgan Spurlock is opening HOLY CHICKEN

Support the Show at www.logicalloss.com/support

Fitbit

If you're starting out and you want to track your activity, I love fitbits. I've owned a few and currently wear a blaze. My favorite is the fitbit One, but if you just want to get your toe into the water the Fitbit Zip clocks in at $49

Withings Body - Body Composition Wi-Fi Scale
I've tried every wi-fi enable scale except the one from Withings.  I got the Wi-Things Body Composition Scale (normally $129, I got in on Black Friday for $77). I can't comment on it as I have told myself I can't open it up until Christmas (you have to leave something to open).

Contigo AUTOSEAL Kangaroo Water Bottle with Storage Compartment

This is a cool 24 ounce water bottle with a (what appears to be) a non spillable seal top. That's not the cool thing. There is a side pocket for keys, cards, etc. That is what caught my eye. Great for those times at the gym and you're not comfortable leaving things in your locket. Best thing is it's only $10

Work Out With Alexa From Amazon

The Amazon Alexa system. What is that?

Alexa is a cloud based app that can be access via the Echo, Tap, and Dot. Alexa answers questions, reads audiobooks and the news, reports traffic and weather, gives info on local businesses, provides sports scores and schedules, and more. One of my favorite things is telling Alexa to put an item on my grocery (or to-do ) list.

Controls lights, switches, and thermostats with compatible WeMo, Philips Hue, Samsung SmartThings, Wink, Insteon, Nest, and ecobee smart home devices.

So I ordered the Amazon Echo Dot ($49) and I tie it to a speaker I already have. (The Amazon Echo $179 has a kick butt built in speaker). You can read my buyers guide at www.alexacast.com/buyersguide so I have it tied into my Fitbit (and I can ask it for an update). If I'm doing good, Alexa give me praise. If I'm behind schedule she encourages me.

In the Amazon world there are no apps (OK there are, but they are called "Skills"). One of the skills is a 7 minute workout. This is completely free. I believe I could have started some music first, then started the workout and had both.

Remember if you're going to be shopping, please visit www.logicalloss.com/support and use our Amazon link (it doesn't cost you anything extra, and we get a small commission)

The holidays.

How many of you just went "ugh!" or "sigh...." We have so much pressure, so much baggage, so many emotions and that's why we often head straight to the fridge for a fix of sugar. After all you HAVE To eat one of Aunt Jill's peanut butter sugar cookies covered in frosting, whip cream and chocolate!

No you don't. But we need to step back from the emotions (easier said than done) and take a long hard look at the holidays.

Most of the articles I looked at about "Surviving the holidays" gave out great advice like "have another cookie (glamour)" or basically get drunk.

We stress out about the holidays because what the holidays are supposed to be if your "normal" is jammed down our faces.  There are all sorts of normal things we are supposed to be doing.

Jewelry commercials are the worst. Attractive happy people so in love. Ugh. "This is what everyone is doing," you think. I want to see the Jewlery couple a year later when they are arguing over what type of lights to put on the tree, and whose house they are going to first on their Christmas tour of inlaws. "The woman of your dreams is now treating you like a child as you carry the pumpkin pie, as she insists it goes into the trunk and NOT the backseat" the diamond from last year is almost paid off thanks to the 18% interest on the credit card you opened to purchase it.

For example, ladies if you are not sitting in the living room sipping wine and giggling, you're not normal. Apparently, women can't do anything without wine. It is the equivalent of beer commercials with men. Men drink beer. Women drink wine (apparently when they are doing everything).

Flip Your Thinking

Have you ever decorated a tree alone? It is one of the most depressing things you can do. Why? Because on TV everyone decorates with their family. So when I decorate my tree alone last year, I felt horrible. I felt abnormal. I felt like an outsider looking in. The reality of tree decorating is there is usually a discussion on what ornaments go in the front (because your heartfelt ornament is considered ugly by others). Do we put icicles on the tree? Flashing lights, old style lights, LED, so many things to argue over. The flip side of this is you get to decorate YOUR tree with all the ornaments YOU want. Enjoy the power. You get to decorate HASSLE free.

How many times do you do something and feel like "Let's just get it over with" when it comes to traditions?

Hate gift exchanges with strangers at work? Don't participate. Why go through another pointless activity to get a gift card from someone? Gift cards, the gift that says "I don't know you, and didn't feel like asking the person who sits next to you what you might enjoy. Happy Shopping. I hope you like Kohls." You have to weigh the lesser of two evils. Are you going to be seen as the Grinch, or have to put on a fake smile for 90 minutes.

Holiday Parties with Families

Let's face it, we are glad we only see some of these people once a year. Apparently, bathing is optional for some people. Who knew?

I can't wait for someone to asking me about my dating life. If I'm lucky, they will rub my shoulder and give me the pity look. "Hang in there, you'll find someone" they say.

Have an answer ready for, "So are you dating anyone?" This could be, "Im so glad you asked Aunt Mildred, I'm sleeping with five different people" just to see the reaction. You could also state that you've been having too many adventures to squeeze someone in (then tell them what you've been up to). You may avoid the pity face.

Get them talking about themselves (if they are parents, ask about their kids) when they are done, go for more punch before they ask about your dating life.

Offer to help out with whatever is going on in the kitchen.

Speaking of families, my cousin (who has never married) once told me he would rather want what he doesn't have, then to have something he didn't want. That one made me think.

What Is Up With All the Kissing?

Put scissors in your pocket and cut down all the mistletoe

Realize that New Years Eve is alot like prom: highly overrated. I remember one year I didn't even stay up to watch the ball drop. When I woke up, the new year was here anyway.

Ever notice that cold and flu season coincides with the holidays? It's all the kissing.

Seriously Snoopy Just Made Me Cry

Why do we get depressed? Because its the most wonderful time of the year. Andy Williams said so. The bottom line is when you expect something to happen, and it doesn't, you feel lousy. Start a new tradition. There is a lot of pressure to smile, look good, and be happy. Eliminate some of the pressure by saying No. The holidays are about being thankful and giving. Be thankful for who you are and give yourself a break. You don't need to be scrooge, but you don't have to say yes to everything. Then there are those people who remind you about the true meaning of Christmas, and the baby Jesus. When you are lonely, there are times the story of a baby getting perfume don't cheer you up.

There may be times when you're just blue. If you feel like crying, do it. It's an orgasm for your soul in some cases. Quit fighting it and let it out. If you find yourself in a "real dark place" there is nothing wrong with going and getting some help.

Another way to let your feelings out is to start a journal.  The idea here is to let it out. Sometimes writing our feelings allows us to step outside of ourselves, and look at them differently. I use penzu.

Here are Some Tips to Make You Feel Better

Downsize and donate. Go through the closet and all those things you only wear when everything else is dirty? Give it to a charity. It will make you feel better (and make room in your closet)

Go the the gym. Instead of arguing over the holidays with someone , go to the gym and get a jump on those new years resolution. I've never felt bad about going to the gym. I've felt sore, but not filled with regret. Plus in a month it is going to be packed at the gym, you might as well go there now while it's empty.

Forgive someone . Some of the stress in our lives is based on grudges and stuff that happened in the past. Take advantage of this time when people think of family and friends and reach out and maybe patch things up with someone. In the event you don't want to get back to a place where this person is in your life, see if there is a way to get some closure on a situation. Start the new year with less regrets.

Focus on what you DO have instead of what you don't.

So much of the holidays are spent remembering the past. Maybe its time to start a new tradition.

So many people put down other people to feel good about themselves, go a different route.  Quit talking about working in a soup kitchen, and go do it. I guarantee you will walk out of their feeling thankful for everything you have.

To Sum It Up

Acknowledge your feelings.

If you recently lost someone, it's OK to cry and miss them as you try to adjust to the new normal.

Reach out to organizations if you need help.

Realize the holidays don't have to be perfect. Trying to make them perfect will only bring pressure.

Accept your family or who they are.

Don't binge on food, shopping, or alcohol. Don't throw away any good habits you have.

If you can plan ahead, it might help eliminate last minute scrambling. Try to plan some "down time" even if its 15 minutes to just sit and be quiet.

Most people who care about you will understand if you just say,"I'd love to, but I've got too much going on already."

In the end, the holidays are a mental game. With pressure from the media of what we are "supposed" to do, throw in relatives and we may be outnumbered. So with this I say, if you feel a little blue it's OK. Take solace in knowing you're not the only one, and thus is it normal to feel this way. Realize then that you are normal. The holidays are three days (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years) 72 hours.  You can make it.

If you need to hear a voice, I found this place

Samaritans Crisis Response Hotline
When You Need Someone to Talk To
(212) 673-3000

As always, if you need emergency help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or call 911.

If you prefer to chat with someone via a chat window, check out iPrevail. This is a pretty cool service. If you need someone to talk to, and if you decide later you'd like to do some counseling, they have some pretty cool online classes. mentors, and more. The price is only $10 a month, the live chat is free.